
Class __^L2J^ 

Book l __ 

Gopght N° 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




ROBERT E. LEE 



SCHOOL HISTORY 
OF VIRGINIA 



EDGAR SYDENSTRICKER 

AND 

AMMEN L. BURGER 



l)i LANEY-BOATWRIGH1 COMPANY, PUBLISHER! 

LYNCHBURG, VIRr;i\l \ 

MCM XIV 



s 



COPYKK.HT. 19] 



I >ulaney-Boatwright Company. Publishers 
Lynchburg, Virginia 



J 1914 



©CI.A371445 



NOTE TO TEACHERS 



The authors' purpose in the School History of Vir- 
ginia is to supply the pupils in the public schools with 
a history of the Virginia people from the beginning of 
Jamestown until the present time. In abandoning the 
old idea of considering the history of this State as merely 
a story of the Virginia Colony and accounts of the Revo- 
lutionary and Civil Wars with a few generalities on the 
last century, and in giving a proportioned treatment of 
the story of over three centuries of the life of the Vir- 
ginia people, it has been necessary to secure a considera- 
ble amount of new material. 

Tn this volume, therefore, the space ordinarily allotted 
to the Colonial. Revolutionary and Civil War periods 
has been cut down without sacrificing important facts 
and graphic details, and greater space has been devoted 
to the periods between the Revolution and the Civil War 
and since the Civil War. Not only have a number of 
events hitherto unknown to the child been added to 
those ordinarily included, but considerable emphasis has 
been given to such important phases of the life of the 
Virginia people as education, internal improvements, 
slavery, sectionalism between the eastern and western 
parts of the state, the Read.juster days, the growth of 
farming and industry, and the customs and ways of 
living. Politics has been so treated as to be stated in 
terms of concrete aims and events rather than in terms of 
theory. The aim of the authors has been to employ 
simple, but no1 childish, language and to bring out, as 



vi. NOTE TO TEACHERS 

far as it is advisable, the idea that the history of Vir- 
ginians has been a development rather than a mass of 
disconnected events and facts. 

A very practical difficulty in the preparation of a 
text book on history exists in the fact that the length 
of the school session varies so widely in different locali- 
ties. To meet, as far as it is possible to do. the demands 
of the school with a fall nine months session, as well as 
the school with a six months session, with a single book, 
the School History lias been so arranged that sections 
can be omitted without destroying the story as a whole, 
it is unnecessary to say that omissions should not be 
made nnless necessary, but in view of actual difficulties, 
the text can be shortened to suit the individual school. 
In this text the authors have not sought to exploit any 
theories of their own as to methods of teaching history; 
rather they have adopted methods from every possible 
source which they and others have found to be practi- 
cable and best in actual experience. The aim has been 
to provide a book which is teachable in the greatest 
possible number of schools, and the only new thing about 
the School History of Virginia is that it is a text similar 
in method, proportions and scope to the best texts on 
United States history and on state histories in several 
other states. 

E. S. 

A. L. B. 
Lynchburg, Va., 1914. 



CONTENTS 



[NTRODUCTORY 



Discoveries 13 

Early Accounts — A New Route to Asia — Christopher Columbus — 
Preparation for the Voyage — Columbus Sails — Three Other 
Voyages — Discoveries of the Oabots — The Name America. 

Colonization 17 

Early Settlements — Spanish and French Attempts — First English 
Attempts — Sir Waller Raleigh — Raleigh's Fi<st Colony — The 
Colonists Rescued — Raleigh's Second Colony — The Colony De- 
stroyed — Last Days of Raleigh. 

The Natives 22 

The Indians — Divisions, Tribes, Clans — Iudians in Virginia — Ap- 
pearance and Dress — Occupations and Weapons— Houses and 
Agriculture — Hunting and Warfare — Education and Character — 
Religion and Government. 

VIRGINIA AS A COLONY 

1607-1776 

Under the London Company 28 

ihr Foil ml hit/ of .Iniiti sioo-n .- The London Companj — The. Charter — 
The Colonists Sail — They Reach Virginia — Beginning of James- 
town — First Council and President — Smith and Newport Ex- 
plore — Powhatan — Indians Attack Jamestown — Sickness and 
Famine — Wingfield Removed 28 

Captain John Smith: Smith's Early Life — Smith Explores — Made 
A Prisoner — He Is Taken Before' Powhatan — Rescued by Poca- 
hontas — First Supply of Colonists — Fire at Jamestown — Smith 
Explores Chesapeake Baj — Smith Succeeds Ratcliffe — Second 
Supply of Colonists 36 

Relations with tin- i iul<ii im : Reasons for keeping the Indians 
Friendly — More Dealings with Powhatan — Smith Warned by 
Pocahontas — A Visit to Opeehancanough — Opechancanough 
Brought to Terms -Conditions ai Jamestown — Argall Arrives 

Changes in the London Company: Why Smith Was .Removed- — 
London Company Reorganized — The Second Charter — Arrival 
of Third Supply — Smith Continues in Charge — His Last Ad- 
venture in Virginia — Smith Leaves Virginia 48 

Hard Times at Jamestown: Famine and Distress at .Jamestown — 
Arrival of dates, Soniers and Newport — They Abandon James- 
town — Met by Lord Delaware — Return to Jamestown — Why the 
Colony Nearly Failed 53 

1 in in-oviil Conditions : Lord Delaware's Administration — Colonists 
Set to Work — Somers and Argall — Delaware Returns to Eng- 
land — Dale's Administration — A New Code of Laws — Modes of 
Punishment — The Third Charter — New- Settlement Begun — Poca- 
hontas Brought to Jamestown — Powhatan Delays — Marriage of 
Pocahontas 58 

The Colony Grows: Communism Abolished — Dale Leaves Vir 

ginia — Virginia in 1616 — Cultivation of Corn and Tobacco — 
Pocahontas Visits England — Smith Citlls on Her — Death of 
Pocahontas — Argall Made Governor- Yeardley Made Governor — 
Results of Argall' s Administration — Sandys and a -New Policy — 
The "Great Charter" 66 



viii. CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The First Legislature: Yeardley Calls an Election — The First 
Legislative Assembly — Some of the Laws Passed — White Servants 
in Virginia — First Negro Slaves— Wives for the Colonists — Yeard- 
ley Retires — Great Indian Massacre — Overthrow of the London 

Company — The First School in Virginia 74 

Under the Crown 83 

Virginia as a Royal Colony — Change of Governors — Lord Balti- 
more Arrives — Dispute Over Kent Island — Harvey Arrested — 
Sir William Berkeley — Another Indian Massacre. 

Under the Commonwealth 89 

Charles I. Put to Death — The Commonwealth — Cavaliers Wel- 
comed in Virginia — Cromwell and Virginia — Virginia Prospers — 
Berkeley Made Governor Again. 

Under the Crowx 93 

Berkeley's Second Administration : The End of the Common- 
wealth — Confidence in Charles II. — The Navigation Laws — 
Oppressive Laws Passed by the Burgesses — Complaint Sent to 
England — The Arlington-Culpeper Grant — Bitter Feeling Toward 
the King 93 

Bacon's Rebellion: The Situatiou in 1675 — Growth of Virginia 
from 1024 to 1675 — The Indians Give Trouble — Berkeley Re- 
fuses Aid — The Long Assembly — Indians Attack Bacon's Planta- 
tion — Bacon Apologizes — The Work of the New Assembly — 
Bacon Suddenly Disappears '. . . 98 

Berkeley Leaves Jamestown: Berkeley Goes to Eastern Shore — 
Bacon Calls a Convention — Bacon Defeats the Indians — Berkeley 
Returns to Jamestown — Bacon Prepares to Capture Jamestown— 
Jamestown Burned — Death of Bacon — The End of the Rebellion — 
The House of Burgesses Interferes — Berkeley Leaves Virginia — 
The Chief Causes of Dissatisfaction — Bacon's Followers 103 

Some Important Changes: Virginia Prospers — Selfish Governors — 
The Tobacco Rebellion — Changes in England — The Capital Re- 
moved to Williamsburg — Alexander Spotswood Arrives — The 
Region West of the Mountains Unexplored — Spotswood Crosses 
the Blue Ridge — Spotswood Removed from the Governorship — 
Boundary Dispute with - North Carolina — Richmond and Peters- 
burg 109 

The French and Indian War: Claims of European Nations in 
North America — The Advantages of the French Over the English — 
The Long War Between France and England — The French Enter 
Territory Claimed by Virginia— The Earlv Life of Washington — 
Washington's Journey — Fort Necessity Captured by the French 
General Braddock and British Regulars Sent from England — 
Braddbck Defeated — Washington Defends the Frontier — Fort 
Duquesne Captured — Peace Between France and England — The 
Thirteen Colonies 117 

The P.eople of the Colony: Kinds of People — Eastern and Western 
Virginia — Towns in Colonial Virginia — Trade and Business — The 
Plantation — The Virginia Cavalier and Lady — Western Vir- 
ginians — Where They Came From — Their Character 125 

Education in the Colony: Kinds of Schools — Free Schools — 
Academies — William and Mary College 134 

Events Leading to the Revolution: The Cost of the War — George III. 
Favors Taxation — Why the Colonists Objected to Paving These 
Taxes — The Parson's ' Cast — The Stamp Act — The Stamp Act 
Before the House of Burgesses — The Stamp Act Repealed — 
The Townshend Acts — The Virginia Resolves — Lord Botetourt , 
Dissolves the Burgesses — The Townshend Acts Repealed — Serious 
Trouble in the Other Colonies — Committees of Correspondence — 
Efforts to Force the Colonists to Buy Tea — The First Continental 
Congress 138 



CONTEXTS ix. 

PAGE 

Dunnwre's War: Trouble with the Indians in the West — Battle of 
Point Pleasant— The Second Virginia Convention — Dunmore Driven 
Out of Williamsburg — Committee of Safety Appointed- — Dunmore s 
Last Days in Virginia — righting in Massachusetts L46 

VIRGINIA AND THE REVOLUTION 
1776-1781 

Virginia Leads the Revolt 152 

Two Political Parties — flighting in the North — Second Continental 
Congress — Why Washington Was Chosen — Washington Takes 
Charge — The Colonics Unprepared — Virginia Favors Independ 
encc — The Bill of Rights — A Constitution Adopted — The Declara 
lion of Independence — The State Seal — Inheritance of Property — 

Virginia's leadership 152 

The War of the Revolution t 162 

In Hie Middle Colonies, 1776-1779: Military Operations — Opera- 
tions in the Middle Colonies — Two Brilliant Victories — Sur- 
render of Burgoyne — The Effect of Burgoyne's Surrender — 
Final Operations in the Middle Colonies lt>2 

In the West and Sputh, 177S-17S0: Operations on the Frontier — 
Credit Due Virginia — Operations in the South — A Gloomv 
Period — The Outlook Brightens 107 

In Yon'miu. 1780-1781: Operations in Virginia — Arnold Invades 
Virginia — Arnold Reinforced — Cornwallis in Virginia — Richmond 
Evacuated — British Raids — Cornwallis Moves to Yorktown — Siege 
of Yorktown — Cornwallis Surrenders — The End of the War — 
Governor Nelson 170 

VIRGINIA UNDER THE CONFEDERATION 
1781-1789 

Tut; Confederation Formed 179 

The Confederation of Thirteen States Virginia Cedes Her North- 
west Territory. 

Settlement ofthe Western Counties 1*1 

Settlement of the Western Part of Virginia — Roads to the Val 
ley — Roads to the West — Kentucky Becomes a Separate State - 
Washington Points Out the Need for Internal Improvements 
• Tames Ruinsey and His Experiments — Rumsey and the First 
Steamboat — Other Successful Trials Made 

Questions of Religion and Slavery 189 

Son..- tiller Matters in Which Virginia Was Interested — The 
Dissenters in Virginia— The Disestablishment of the Episcopal 
Church- — Protests Against Slavery. 

Virginia's Share in Forming the Union 194 

Tin N.-ed of a New Central Government -Opinion Divided in 
Virginia on the Kind of Union Needed The States in Conven 
lion -"The Virginia Plan"— Virginia Ratifies the Constitution. 

VIRGINIA IX THE UNION 
1789-1861 

i . i : \ i ■ i \ i . Events 2112 

"The Virginia Dynasty" Jefferson, Madison ami Monroe Two 
Other Virginia Presidents — Trial of Aaron Burr, 1.S07— The 
Richmond Theatre Disaster. 1813 — The War with (ileal Britain I 

Causes. 1793-1512 — The War with Great Britain, 1812-18J.4 — 
The Old Capitol Burned — Edmund Ruffin and Better Farming 
Virginians and (he Mexican War. 1846-1848— The Gold Mining 
"Fever." 1849 — The Yellow Fever Epidemic— Literature Before 
the War. 



x. CONTENTS 

PAGE 

('(ixFi.ii T Between East and West 216 

The Old Antipathy Grows — The Constitutional Convention of 
1829-1830 — Western Virginians Threaten to Form a New State — 
The Constitutional Convention of 1350-1851 — The Real Differ- 
ences Never Settled. 

1 NDUSTRIAL CHANGES 222 

Two changes Between 1790 and 1860. 
The First Change, 1790-1830: Conditions in 1790 — Conditions 
in 1830 — What Was Said of Eastern Virginia in 1830 — Causes of 

the First Change — "Moss-Grown and Slipshod'' 223 

The. Second Change, 1S31-1860 : The Virginia People — The 
Farms — McCormiek's Invention of the Reaper — Tobacco — Manu- 
factures — Causes of the Second Change 227 

Internal Improvements 233 

The New Transportation Routes. 
River Improvements : Washington's Suggestion — The Improvement 
of the James River — New Plans for Navigating the -lames 
River — The James River and Kanawha Company — Packet 

Boats — Other Waterway Improvements 234 

Highways and Railroads: Highways and Bridges — Railroads — ■ 
Railroads in Eastern Virginia — Railroads in Central Virginia — 
Railroads in Western Virginia — Other Railroads Built After 
1850 — Where the Money Came from to Build Railroads 241 

si, wkry in Virginia 246 

• The Feeling Against Slavery — Three Ways of Settling the Ques 
tion — Slave Insurrections — The Southampton Insurrection, 1831 — 
The Slavery Question Again Discussed — How Slaves Were Treated. 

Education 2."):! 

Jefferson's Ideas About Education — Charity or "Public" Schools — 
Western Virginians Demand Schools — The Founding of the Uni- 
versity of Virginia — Opposition to the University — The Universitj 
Grows — Other Schools — State Institutions — Other Colleges — Hos- 
pitals nnd Special Schools. 

VIRGINIA AND THE CIVIL WAE 

1861-1865 

'liii-: Forming of the Confederacy 265 

Causes of the War — Events that Brought on the War — John 
Brown's Raid, 1859 — The Presidential Election of 1860— Sees 
sion Begins, 1860-1861 — The Confederate States of America. 1861. 

The Beginning of the Civil. War 270 

The United States Refuses to Surrender Fort Sumter — Virginia 
and other States Secede — Virginia Invaded and the War Begun — 
Robert E. Lee Resigns from the United States Army — Richmond 
is Made the Confederate Capital. 

I'n e First Year of the War 27 1 

The Confederate States on the Defensive — The War in Virginia 
in 1861 — All Lines of Defense Unbroken in 1861. 

'In f Second Year of the War 278 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1862 — The Virginia's Fight with 
tin- Monitor — McClellan's Campaign Against Richmond — Jackson 
in the Valley — McClellan Comes Up York Peninsula — McClellan 
is Driven Back by Lee and Jackson — Pope's Campaign Against 
Richmond — Burnside's Campaign Against Richmond. 

The Third Year of the War 286 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1863 — The Battle of Chancellors- 
ville — Denth of Jackson — Lee's Invasion of the North. 



CONTENTS xi. 

PAGI 

The Poukth Year op th e Wak 290 

Only Two Lines of Defense Left — Tn Winter Quarters in North 
ern Virginia — Grant Tries to Capture Richmond from the North— 
"Bottling Up" Butler — Grant's Attack on Richmond from the 
Southeast — Hunter's Campaign in the Valley — Early Invades 
Maryland. 

in i; End of the War, 1865 299 

The Confederacy's Last Defense — The Confederate Line Broken- 
Lee's Army Surrounded — The Surrender at Appomattox — The 
Confederacy at an End — Virginia's Part in the War. 

PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION 

1865-1868 

Separation of West Virginia — The "Restored Government of Vir- 
ginia" — "Reconstruction" — The Preedman's Bureau — The l'i 

League — The Conservatives Become Active — The Constitutional 
Convention of 1867-1868 — Gilbert C. Walker Elected Governor. 306 

VIRGINIA SINCE THE CIVIL WAE 

1868 

Conditions After the Wak 313 

Reasons for Discouragement — The Amount of Losses in Virginia — 
General Lee's Example. 

some Leading Events 319 

Hr/iair and Iii:\tortitioii : The First Assembly Cnder the New Con- 
stitution, 1870 — The Capitol Disaster, 1870 — The Railroads After 
the War — Repairing and Reorganizing the Railroads — New Rail- 
roads Built — Tames River and Kanawha ('anal Abandoned — 

Commodore Maury's "Survey" 319 

Progress and Development: State Hoard of Health Created, 1872 — 
Virginia Polytechnic Institute Established, 1872 — First State 
Department of Agriculture, 1877 — Centennial at Yorktown — 
Virginia Experiment Station, 1888 — First Electric Street Cars, 
1888 — "Boom Times," and the "Panic" of 1893 — Virginians 
and the War with Spain, 1898 — The Constitutional Convention 
of 1900-1901 — The Jamestown Exposition, 1907 325 

The Internal Improvement Debt 

Virginia's Debt of $45,000,000 in 1870 — West Virginia's SI 
of the Debt — Funders and Readjustees — Moderates and Radi- 
cals — The Radical lieadjusters in Rower— The Settlement of 
the Debt. 

Political Parties i\ Virginia 340 

Sectional Feeling Ended — The Democrats Come Into Control in 
1885 — "Free Silver" in 1893 and 1897 — Primary Elections 
Elections, 1905 to 1910 — Governor Stuart's Election. 

The Public School System :; m 

Its Establishment : Jefferson's Ideas Realized — The Establishment 
of a Public School System, 1870 — Ruffner. the first State Superin 
tendent, 1870-1882 — A Period of Poor Schools. 1882 1902 .344 

Kill/rational Awakening: The Revival of Education — J. D. Eg 
ton Elected Superintendent, 1905 — Some Results of the Educa 
tional Awakening — Normal Schools for Teachers 

Virginia in Recent Years 

The Making of History — Virginia in Recent Years — Better 
Farming — The Good Roads Movement — Fighting Disease — 
Growth of Cities — Virginians in National Affairs — Literature and 
Science — Recent Matters of Interest — A New Spirit in < » I < i 
Virginia. 

A PPENDIX 



RECOMMENDED FOR USE OF 
TEACHERS 



Introductory: 

Fiske, Discovery of America; Grosse, Raleigh. 

Virginia as a Colony: 

Fiske, Old Virginia and Her Neighbors; Bruce, Economic His- 
tory of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century; Institutional 
History of Virginia in tin Seventeenth Century; Social 
Life in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century; Cooke, tfisfory 
of Virginia; Wise, the Early History of the Eastern Shore of 
Virginia; Long, Virginia t/ounty Nanus; Brown, The Genesis 
of tin United States; The First Republic in America; English 
Politics in Earh/ Virginia History ; Chandler, Makers of Vir- 
ginia History. 

Virginia \\i> the Revolution: 

Fiske, The American devolution ; Henry, Patrick Henry; 
I'arton, Thomas Jefferson; Rowland, Life and Correspondence 
of George Mason; Lodge, George Washington; White, His- 
tory of the United Slates; Wilson, History of the American 
People. 

Virginia in the Union: 

Ambler, Sectionalism in Virginia; Thomas Ritchie, A Study 
in Virginia Politics; McMaster, History of the People of the 
railed Stales; Wise, Life of Henri/ A. Wise; Ballagli, Slarern 
in Virginia; Wayland, Political Opinions of Thomas Jeffer- 
son; The German Element in tin Shenandoah Valley; Chand- 
ler, Representation in Virginia; Suffrage in Virginia; Mini- 
ford, Virginians Attitude Toxoard Slavery and Secession. 

Virginia and the Civil War: 

Davis, Rise and Fall of the Confederal, Government; White, 
Robert E. Lee; Henderson, Stbnewall Jackson; Cordon, 
Reminiscences of the Civil War. 

Period op Reconstruction: 

Kckonrude, Political History of the Reconstruction in Vir- 
ginia; Dunning, Essays on the Civil War and Reconstruction. 

Virginia Since the Civil War: 

Andrews, A Histpry of tin Last Quarter Century; Btfagruder, 
Recent Administration in Virginia; Bruce, J\'isc of the New 
Smith; O'Ferrall, Forty fears of Active Service. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



INTRODUCTORY. 



DISCOVERIES. 

Early Accounts. — Our story begins with the first known 
visit by Europeans to the shores of North America. This. 
according to some old manuscripts, was in the year 986. 
The people of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, known as 
the Northmen, were at that time Hie most daring sailors 
in the world. They went on many long and dangerous 
voyages, and on one of these voyages, in 874. they dis- 
covered and settled the island of Iceland. In 986, Erie 
the Red, sailing from Iceland, planted a colony in what 
is now Greenland. Fourteen years later, in the year 
1000, Leif (iiif), the son of Erie, set out from Green- 
land and explored the coast of what we know as New 
England. He called the country Vinland (Vine-land) 
because he found many irrapes growing there. During 
the next few years several expeditions were made to 
Vinland for timber, of which there \v;is xt'ry little in 
' ireenland. 

A New Route to Asia. — The discoveries of the North- 
men attracted little attention in Europe. People were 
too ignorant at that early time to feel much interest in 
new and distant lands, and the voyages of Eric ;ind Leif 
were soon forgotten. Europe. Asia and northern Africa 
contained the only countries about which anything was 



]4 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

known. Sailors had never seen the Pacific Ocean and 
"had not been far out on the Atlantic, which they called 
the ' ' Sea of Darkness. ' ' The Mediterranean Sea was the 
only large body of water with which they were familiar, 
and it was over this that the trade between Europe and 
Asia was carried on. But about four hundred years 
after the discoveries of Eric and Leif, the Turks, who 
were the enemies of the Europeans, got possession of 
the eastern end of the Mediterranean, and vessels were 
no longer able to travel that route in safety. The sailors 
were not willing to risk capture at the hands of the cruel 
Turks. The rich trade in spices, silks and pearls had 
begun to suffer, and it became necessary to look for 
another route to Asia. 

Christopher Columbus. — The first attempts to find a 
new route were made by sailing down the west coast 
of Africa. In 1470, a young Italian sailor named 
Christopher Columbus began to take part in these 
voyages. It was generally believed at that time that the 
earth was flat. But Columbus and a few educated men 
held tin- theory that the earth, instead of being flat, was 
round like a ball. Columbus was soon convinced that 
the route around Africa, if ever discovered, would be 
.1 very long one. His knowledge of the earth, gained 
from the study of. geography and from his experience 
as a sailor, led him to propose that a better and shorter 
way of reaching Eastern Asia could be found by sailing 
westward across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Preparation for the Voyage. — Columbus was fully 
aware of the dangers and difficulties of a long voyage 
on the unexplored Atlantic, and his friends sought to 
persuade him that the undertaking would be foolish. 
But "he was anxious to prove to those who disagreed 
with him that his theory was correct, and determined 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 15 

to make the voyage. Being poor, he could not set out at 
once. It was necessary to have ships, supplies and 
men, and these he could not provide without assistance. 
He spent nearly twenty years in Portugal, Spain, France 
and England in the effort to persuade the rulers of these 
countries to aid him in fitting out an expedition. The 
idea of trying to reach Asia by sailing westward seemed 
absurd, however, and his visits everywhere met with 
failure. Columbus was discouraged, and was about to 
give up the undertaking, when Ferdinand and Isabella, 
king and queen of Spain, at last consented to furnish 
the necessary ships. 

Columbus Sails. — On the morning of Friday, August 
•"). 1492, Columbus set out from Palos, Spain. He had 
three small ships and one hundred and twenty men. 
There was not one on board who even thought that 
they were going to discover a new country. The one 
idea of Columbus was to reach Asia, and when, on the 
12th of October., he reached San Salvador, and later 
Cuba and Haiti, he believed that he had come to the 
East Indies. At Haiti he left twenty of his men for 
a garrison and returned to Spain to report the success 
of his voyage. He carried on his return many new and 
wonderful things, including six of the natives from the 
islands he had visited. 

Three Other Voyages. — In 1493, Columbus made a 
second voyage, discovering the island of Jamaica. On a 
third voyage, in 1498, he reached South America, which 
he supposed to be the continent of Asia. His fourth and 
last voyage was made in 1502, when he discovered Central 
America. As far as is known. Columbus never saw the 
shores of what is now the United Slates. His last years 
were spent in poverty and sickness. lie died in 1506. 



16 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

not knowing that he had discovered a new country, but 
firmly believing that he had succeeded in reaching Asia. 

Discoveries of the Cabots. — The news of the discov- 
eries of Columbus spread rapidly in Europe. John 
Cabot, a native of Genoa, then living in England, applied 
to King Henry VII. of England for permission to search 
for a route to Asia shorter than that taken by Columbus. 
Pitting out a ship at Bristol, England, he sailed in May, 
1497, with eighteen men, and after six weeks reached 
Labrador, where he took possession of the country in 
the name of the king. Accompanied by his son. Sebas- 
tian Cabot, he made two later voyages, exploring the 
coast of Labrador and New England. It is probable 
that on one of these voyages the Cabots came as far 
south as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. They were 
the first Europeans, of whom there is any record, that 
visited the shores of North America after the time of 
Eric and Leif. 

The Name America. — The new country, for it was soon 
found that a new country had been discovered, was first 
called America in honor of an Italian explorer, Americus 
Vespucius, who visited the coast of Brazil in 1501 and 
made a map of that part of South America. The name 
was suggested by a Herman geographer in the year 1507. 



QUESTIONS. 

Who were the Northmen? Tell about the discoveries of Eric 

;uk1 Leif. 

Why did the people of Europe wish to find a new route to 

Asia? 

Who was Christopher Columbus? How did lie think he could 

besl rea-h Asia ? Why .' 

Tell about his difficulties in getting ships and supplies. 

Hive an account of the first voyage of Columbus. 

What other voyages did he make? 

Who were the Cabots? What discoveries did they make? 

How did America get its name? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGIN 1. 1 17 

COLONIZATION. 

Early Settlements. — When it became known that ships 
conld safely cross the Atlantic, expeditions were fitted 
out in every maratime country of Europe to visit the 
country discovered by Columbus and the Cabots. Many 
of these early explorers were looking for a route to Asi;i ; 
some were interested only in searching for treasure, and 
a few came to examine the shores and wonders of the 
New World. Soon after the year 1500, however, the 
Portugese. Spaniards and French began to establish 
colonies. The Portugese and Spaniards were attracted 
to South America and what is now Mexico, while the 
French succeeded in making settlements along the St. 
Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. 

Spanish and French Attempts. — The first attempt to 
plant a colony in what is now the United States was 
made by the Spaniards in 1521, when Ponce de Leon 
(Pon'-tha-daJa-on') undertook to make a settlement in 
Florida. In 1526. another Spaniard, named d'Ayllon 
(d'il-yon'), tried to establish a colony of six hundred 
people on tlie -l;inies River, in Virginia, not far from 
where the English afterwards buill Jamestown, hut this 
was very soon destroyed by sickness and hunger. Some 
French Huguenots, under Jean Ribault (Zhan Ri-bo'), 
in 1562, attempted a settlemenl at Port Royal, in the 
present state of South Carolina. Many of these colonists 
died, and those who survived returned to France. 
Another party of Huguenots built a fort near the mouth 
of St. John's River, in Florida, in 1564. The Spaniards 
already claimed Florida, however, and in 1565, Menendez 
(Ma-nen'-deth) drove out the French and buill the town 



18 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

of St. Augustine. This became a permanent Spanish 
settlement, and St. Augustine is still standing, being 
to-day the oldest city in the United States. 

First English Attempts. — England was slow to take 
advantage of the discoveries of the Cabots, and it was 
not until 1578 that an effort was made to establish an 
English settlement in America. In that year Sir Hum- 
phrey Gilbert fitted out an expedition consisting of seven 
well-armed ships, one of which was commanded by his 
half-brother. Sir Walter Raleigh, and sailed to plant 
a colony in North America, but the undertaking was 
unsuccessful. Gilbert came again in 1583 with three 
vessels to make a settlement in Newfoundland. His 
largest vessel was wrecked on the rocks, and the other 
two were turned homeward. On the way hack his own 
vessel sank in a storm and Gilbert was drowned. 

Sir Walter Raleigh.— Tn 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh 
was given permission to establish a colony in North 
America. Raleigh was an accomplished nobleman and 
a great favorite with Queen Elizabeth. He was anxious 
for England to have a share in the New World, in which 
Spain and Prance were then very busy making settle- 
ments, and proposed that a colony should be planted 
in the territory between Florida and Canada. Two sea 
captains, Philip Amidas and Arthur Barlow, were sent 
to look for a good site for a settlement. They landed 
on the coast of what is now North Carolina and visited 
Roanoke Island, where they found the natives friendly, 
saw much game, and admired the beautiful forests of 
cedar and pine. The report which these sailors carried 
hack to England was so favorable in its description of 
the new country, that the queen decided to call the 
region Virginia in honor of herself. Thus we see that all 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 19 

of North America between Florida and Canada was at 
first called Virginia. 

Raleigh's First Colony. — In 1585, Raleigh sent over 
one hundred and eight colonists to build a town on 
Roanoke Island. The expedition consisted of seven 
ships under the command of Sir Richard Grenville, and 
Ralph Lane was appointed governor. They landed, 
probably late in June, and began to build a fort and 
some houses. Summer was just beginning and the 
settlers were much pleased with the beautiful country 
in which they had come to make their homes. The natives 
were disposed to he friendly, and frequently visited the 
colony, bringing presents of fish, game, vegetables and 
tobacco, in return for which the Englishmen gave them 
such things as beads, hats, pieces of tin, and trinkets of 
various kinds. These things, while of little value to the 
white men. greatly pleased the Indians, to whom they 
were new. But among the presents brought by the 
natives were some things that were equally new to the 
colonists. These were tobacco, potatoes, Indian corn 
Mini turkeys, none of which had ever been seen in Eng- 
land. This friendly relationship was not permitted to 
coii1 i nut' very long, however, for, in retaliation for the 
stealing of a silver cup by an Indian, Grenville set fire 
to a field of standing corn belonging to the natives. This 
unkind and unnecessary act enraged the Indians; their 
visits to the settlement ceased and they became hostile. 

The Colonists Rescued. — Grenville soon returned to 
England for more supplies, leaving Lane in charge. In- 
stead of setting to work planting crops and preparing 
for the winter. Lane and many of the men spent their 
time searching for gold and other treasures. The supply 
of provisions was rapidly used up. and before the end 
of a year there came to be much suffering and hunger 



20 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ill thf colony. The situation had become so bad that, 
when, in July, 1586, Sir Francis Drake touched at the 
Island with bis fleet from' the AVest Indies, the starving 
colonists begged to be carried back to England. Drake, 
seeing their pitiable condition, consented to take them 
on board, and the colony was abandoned. Shortly after 
this Grenville arrived with a fresh lot of provisions, and 
not knowing of the coming of Drake's ships in his 
absence, was surprised at finding the' fort deserted. Be- 
lieving the settlers to be somewhere in the adjacent 
country, he left fifteen men for a guard with ample 
supplies and sailed away. 

Raleigh's Second Colony. — Sir Walter Raleigh was 
too intent upon the colonization of Virginia to be dis- 
couraged by the failure of the colony under Lane, and 
in 1587 be sent a' second expedition of three ships, 
one hundred and' forty-five men and seventeen women 
under John White as governor. It had been decided, 
however, to select a new site for the colony, and White 
was instructed to stop at Roanoke Island only long 
enough to get the men left there by Grenville. after 
which the colonists were to proceed to some suitable 
point on the shores of the Chesapeake Ray. and there 
build a town to be called Raleigh. But, for some unex- 
plained reason, when they arrived at Roanoke Island 
the colonists were put ashore and two of the ships re- 
turned to England. Thus deserted, with only one small 
ship, they were compelled to remain there. It was found 
that the guard left by Grenville had been massacred, 
and the Indians were very unfriendly. Under these 
gloomy circumstances the people began to build homes 
and make preparations for the winter. 

The Colony Destroyed. — One of the women in the 
colony was Governor White's daughter Eleanor, the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 21 

wife of Ananias Dare, and on August 18, 1587, very soon 
after they reached Roanoke Island, Virginia Dare was 
born. This was the first child born of English parents in 
America, and the little girl was named Virginia in honor 
of the country in which her parents expected to make 
their home. When his granddaughter was barely ten 
days old, White sailed back to England for a fresh 
supply of provisions. Nothing is known of what took 
place in the colony during his absence. The war then 
going on in Europe between England and Spain pre- 
vented his return to Roanoke Island for nearly four 
years, and when he came again, in 1591, not one of those 
whom he had left could be found. Grass was growing in 
The deserted fort, while under some trees nearby five 
chests, that had evidently been buried there by the colo- 
nists, had been dug up and robbed. Some books and pic- 
tures lay scattered about, and in the bark of a large tree 
was cut the word Croatan, the name of another island. 
White was anxious to visit this island to see if the colo- 
nists might not have gone there, for he wanted to see 
again his friends and little grandchild. But the ship 
was overtaken by a storm on the way. and after being 
tossed about for several days the captain insisted on 
going back to England. White was compelled fo give 
up the search for his loved ones, and the colonists were 
neve!' heard of again. What became of them will prob- 
ably forever remain a mystery. 

Last Days of Raleigh. — Raleigh was much distressed 
at learning of the sad fate of his second colony, and 
sent several expeditions in the hope of getting news 
of the colonists, but he was unable to send oul another 
colony. The two attempts at planting a settlemenl in 
Virginia had already cosl him heavily, and the queen, 
to whom he applied for assistance, was unwilling to 



22 SCHOOL HISTOFT OF VIRGINIA 

furnish any money. Queen Elizabeth died in 
1603, and her successor, King James I, not liking 
Raleigh, had him cast into prison on a false charge of 
treason. For twelve years he was kept a prisoner in 
the Tower of London, and in 1618 he was put to death. 



QUESTIONS. 

Where did the Portugese make settlements? The Spaniards? 

The French? 

Tell abotrt some Spanish and French attempts that failed. 

Who first tried to make a settlement in what is now Virginia? 

Who was the first Englishman that tried to make a settlement 

in North America? When? 

Why did Sir Walter Raleigh wish to establish an English 

Colony? 

Give an account of the first colony on Roanoke Island. 

Why did these colonists return to England! 

Tell about Raleigh 's second colony. 

Who was Virginia Dare? What did Governor White find when 

he returned to Roanoke Island? 

Tell about the last days of Raleigh. 



THE NATIVES. 

The Indians. — The native inhabitants of North and 
South America were first called Indians by Columbus, 
because he thought that he had reached either India or 
the East Indies. From what country these people came, 
how they got here, or how long they had been here when 
America was discovered, is not known. Having no 
written language, they kept no record of 'their ancestors, 
and their traditions are not reliable. Some people believe 
that they at one time lived in Asia, and that when they 
first came to America, probably thousands of years 
before the coming of Columbus, they were civilized. 
This belief is supported by the fact that from Indian 
mounds found in several parts of the country have been 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 23 

dug vases, bricks and other articles that were not in 
use among the natives at the time of discovery. 

Divisions, Tribes, Clans. — The Indians were all of one 
raee, but some were much more civilized than others. 
They were of three classes, savage, barbarous and half- 
civilized. Those living between the Rocky Mountains 
and the Atlantic Ocean were of the barbarous class, and 
consisted of three large divisions, Maskokis, Algonquins 
and Iroquois. Each of these divisions was composed of 
several tribes, and each tribe was made up of a number 
of clans. The clan consisted of those who were related 
to one another, and the members, if there were not too 
many, lived together in one house; otherwise they occu- 
pied several houses grouped together. 

Indians in Virginia. — The Fndians who lived in what 
is now Virginia were Algonquins, there being about ten 
thousand within a radius of one hundred miles of the 
present site of Richmond when the English first began 
1o settle here.* They were divided into nearly fifty 
clans, of which more than thirty belonged to one power- 
ful tribe called the Powhatans. The Powhatans occupied 
the country east of Richmond, and it was with this tribe 
that the early settlers came into contact. The other 
clans were members of several smaller tribes dwelling in 
the country to the west and south of Richmond. 

Appearance and Dress. — These Indians had skins 
nearly the color of cinnamon, high cheek bones, piercing 
black tyes, straight, coarse black hair, and little or no 
beard. The women wore their hair long, allowing it to 
hang loose over their shoulders, while the men cut theirs 
short on one side. On the top of their heads they kept 
a lock or ridge of hair which was known as the scalp- 

\i the present time the Indian population of Virginia is about 500. 
These arc descendants of the Pamunkey clan and live on a small reser- 
vation not far from Richmond. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



lock. The men were 
usually tall, straight and 
well-proportioned, with 
a graceful carriage and 
dignified bearing t h a t 
gave them a manly, hand- 
some appearance. Their 
clothing consisted • for 
the most part of the 
skins of wild animals. 
Some wore mantles dec- 
orated with beads and 
turkey feathers, which 
were dyed red or blue, 
and all were fond of or- 
naments and gay colors. 
The women tattooed 
their bodies with pic- 
tures of beasts a n d 
snakes, while both men 
and women painted their 
wore various kinds of ear ornaments, 
their headdress consisted of feathers 
birds. 

Occupations and Weapons. — The men considered it 
undignified to engage in any sort of work. They spent 
their time hunting, fishing, trapping and fighting, the 
work being done by women. The women, called squaws, 
not only took care of the children and did the cooking, 
but they attended to planting and gathering the crops, 
provided wood for the fires, did the moving, made 
baskets, tanned the skins of wild animals, and even 
cleared the ground for their little patches of corn and 
vegetables. The weapons of the Indians, used in both 




XDIAX DKKSS 



faces and shoulders red and 
Instead of hats, 
or the wings of 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 25 

fighting and hunting, were the bow and arrow, tomahawk, 
club, stone knife and wooden spear. Their boats, called 
canoes, were sometimes made of bark, but more fre- 
quently of the trunks of long, straight trees, which 
were hollowed out and otherwise gotten into the proper 
shape by slow burning and such cutting as could be 
done with their crude knives and hatchets. These canoes, 
which were used a great deal by the Indians in Virginia. 
were often long enough to accommodate thirty or forty 
men. 

Houses and Agriculture. — The Indians lived in vil- 
lages, which were usually situated near the banks of 
some stream where fishing and hunting were good. The 
houses, called wigwams, were little more than rough 
cabins consisting of poles driven into the ground and 
bound together at the top by means of bent branches 
of trees. They were covered with reeds, bark or skins, 
small openings being left in the roof for the escape of 
smoke. Some of the houses were nearly one hundred 
feel long, and these would be divided into rooms with a 
passageway running through the center and connecting 
with a door at each end. Four families could occupy one 
room, and as many as fifty families would sometimes be 
accommodated in one house. 

Near each village there would be a piece of "round on 
which the trees had been killed by burning to destroy 
the shade, and this would be used for the cultivation of 
such crops as Indian corn, pumpkins, tobacco, potatoes, 
beans and sunflowers. The Indians had dogs, hut knew 
nothing of such animals as horses, cows, sheep, goats and 
hogs. For money, they used a string of heads or sea- 
shells, called wampum. 

Hunting and Warfare. — As we have seen, the men 
spent mos1 of their time fishing, hunting and fighting. 



26 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

They knew how to spear fish through the ice, and could 
use the bow and arrow with great skill. The arrows 
were winged with turkey feathers and tipped with a 
piece of hard, sharp stone, called flint. Their meat 
consisted entirely of fish and the flesh of wild animals. 
The forests abounded in deer, wild turkeys and other 
game, and these could be killed with little difficulty. 

Fighting was their chief business, however, for the 
different tribes were nearly always at warfare. A young 
man was not considered fit to associate with the warriors, 
or braves, as they were sometimes called, until he had 
shown his ability to kill and scalp his enemies, it being 
the pride of every warrior to have as many scalps as 
possible hanging at his belt. The club, tomahawk and 
spear were used in fighting at close range. The Indians 
never fought in open battle, but would use all sorts of 
strategy in attacking their enemies, always trying to get 
as close to their victims as possible before letting it be 
known that they were going to make an attack. Their 
prisoners were usually tortured by slow burning or by 
being made to run the gantlet, before being put to 
death. Sometimes, if a prisoner showed unusual bravery 
and self-control under torture, he would be allowed to 
return to his people or be adopted into the tribe. The 
Indians were brave, daring and self-controlled, and 
admired these qualities in their enemies. 

Education and Character. — The Indians allowed nothh 
ing to escape their notice. Life in the forest taught them 
many things about the habits of the birds and wild 
animals, and about the signs of the weather. They 
knew nothing of books, however, and had no written 
language. They kept count of the years by winters. 
Besides baskets, they knew how to make mats and maple- 
sugar. Trained from infancy in out-of-door life and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 27 

endurance, the men could stand fatigue, hunger and 
cold far better than the white man. Their mode of liv- 
ing and constant warfare in which they were engaged 
rendered them cruel and revengeful, and they were 
extremely treacherous, but they would remember a 
kindness. 

Religion and Government. — Like all other peoples, 
whether civilized or barbarous, the Indians had some 
idea of religion. They worshipped their dead ancestors, 
as well as the Sun, Winds and Lightning. They believed 
in a great Good Spirit, but thought that all of their 
troubles were sent by another great evil spirit, and it 
was this evil spirit that they sought to appease in their 
worship. Tt was thought that the Good Spirit would not 
do them harm, and. therefore, that it was unnecessary 
to pray to him. 

The Indians had little or no government. There were 
no social distinctions among them. The houses and food 
belonged to the clan, and only weapons and ornaments 
were regarded as private property. Each clan elected 
two rulers, called sachems, one for peace, the other for 
war, and these could be removed from office for cowardice 
or bad conduct at any time. The tribe had its own head 
war-chief, and was governed by a council of the sachems 
of the elans of which it was composed. Every important 
matter was decided by this council. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Why were the natives called Indians? 

2. What division of Indians lived in what is now Virginia .' 
What tribe? How many? 

3. Tell about the appearance and dross of the Indians. 

1. What wore the occupations, (a) of the men, (l>) of the women? 
What were their weapons .' 

5. Describe their houses. What crops did they raise.' 

6. Describe the Indian mode of fighting. How did they treat 
their prisoners? 

7. Tell something about their character. 

8. What were their ideas about religion .' 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA AS A COLONY. 

1607-1776. 



UNDER THE LONDON COMPANY. 

RULER IN ENGLAND: GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

Kiny James I. (1603-1624). Thomas West, Lord Delaware 

(1609-1619).* 
president op council: Thomas Dale (High Marshal, 

Edward Wing-field (1607). 1611-1616). 

John Ratcliffe (1607-1608). George Yeardlev (Lieutenant- 

John Smith (1608-1609). Governor, 1616-1617). 

George Percy (1609). Samuel Argall (Lieutenant- 

Governor, 1617-1619). 
George Yeardley (1619-1621). 
Francis Wvatt (1621-1626). 



THE FOUNDING OP JAMESTOWN. 

The London Company. — We have seen why Sir Walter 
Raleigh did not continue his efforts to establish a colony 
in Virginia, while the war with Spain prevented others 
from taking an interest in the matter. When this war 
was at an end, however, the people of England began 
to turn their attention to Virginia again. As early as 
1603, Bartholomew Gilbert, son of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, 
visited the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, where he and 
several of his companions were slain by the Indians. 
Oilier daring explorers undertook voyages to the new 
country, maps and stories describing the wonders of 
America were published and read in England, and con- 
ditions soon came to be more favorable than ever before 
for sending out an expedition. 

■Lord Delaware resided in England from 1611 to 1619, being repre- 
sented in Virginia by Dale. Yeardley and Argall. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 29 

King James was anxious for the establishment of an 
English colony before the Spaniards and French should 
begin to claim Virginia, and, in 1606, two companies were 
formed in England with this in view. One was called 
the London Company, the other the Plymouth Company ; 
and it was decided to divide Virginia between them. To 
the London Company, thai in which we are most in- 
terested, the king gave all the territory between the 
southern border of the present state of North Carolina 
and the mouth of the Potomac River. This company was 
made up of merchants and other wealthy and influential 
men living in or near London, who believed that a 
colony in Virginia would prove a good business in- 
vestment. 

The Charter. — The paper containing the names of 
iliose interested in the company, saying what the bounda- 
ries of the territory should be and how the colonists 
were to be governed, was called a charter. The First 
Charter provided that the government of the colony 
.should be in the hands of a council of thirteen men 
appointed by the king. This council, whose members 
resided in England, was to appoint another council of 
thirteen men belonging to the colony, which in turn 
should elect every year one of its number as president. 
The names of Ihose composing the second council were 
put in a sealed box by King .lames, and this box was 
delivered to the captain of one of the ships, with instruc- 
tions that it was not to be opened until the colonists 
reached Virginia. 

The Colonists Sail. — The London Company had little 
trouble in getting men to go to Virginia, especially 
anions' those who had no regular employment at home. 
There were many in England eager to see the new 
country, while the Company not only offered \'rct' trans- 



30 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

portation, but promised one hundred acres of land to all 
who would remain in the colony five years. By Decem- 
ber 19, 1606, everything was in readiness, and the ex- 
pedition was placed in command of Captain Christopher 
Newport, one of the most distinguished officers of the 
English navy. Besides Newport's ship, the Susan Con- 
stant, there were two smaller vessels called the Godspeed 
and Discover}/, and these carried in all one hundred and 
five colonists, of whom forty-five were classed as "gentle- 
men," the others being laborers mechanics and adven- 
turers. 

They Reach Virginia. — The expedition had rough 
weather crossing the Atlantic, and Captain Newport was 
at one time almost persuaded to turn back. The long 
delay in reaching land reduced the supply of provisions, 
and there began to be much suffering and complaint 
in the party. Many of the men were homesick and some 
believed that they had seen their friends and loved 
ones for the last time. But the little vessels held out 
bravely against storm and wave, and on April 26, 1607, 
four months after leaving London, the expedition came 
to the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay. Their supply 
of water having about given out, some thirty men went 
ashore at the first convenient landing place to refill the 
casks and examine the country, and here they had their 
first encounter with the Indians. These discharged a 
shower of arrows into the party, wounding two and 
driving all back to their ships, and it was decided to 
seek a more hospitable place before making a settlement. 

To the sandy point at which they landed, the colonists 
gave the name of Cape Henry, while that on the north- 
ern shore opposite was later called Cape Charles, both 
in honor of the king's sons, Henry and Charles. Naming 
the next point at which they touched Point Comfort, 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 31 

they proceeded up the broad and beautiful river, called 
by the Indians the Powhatan, which the colonists called 
the James. The month of May was now beginning, the 
most beautiful season of the year in this part of Vir- 
ginia, and the banks of the James could not have been 
more attractive and inviting than as first seen by these 
tired and sea-tossed people. As they sailed up this great 
river, they forgot the dangers, sufferings and hardships 
of the voyage. 

Beginning- of Jamestown. — On May 13, 1607. the 
colonists came to a small peninsula on the northern bank 
of the river, about thirty-five miles from its mouth, and 
here they decided to land and build a town. This was 
the beginning of Jamestown, at first called Fort James, 
the first permanent English settlement in America and 
the real beginning of the present state of Virginia. The 
fort, begun on the day after they landed, was built in 
the shape of a triangle, and a cannon was mounted a1 
eaeli corner. The first houses were only rude sheds or 
cabins built of logs and covered with a thatch of marsh 
grass, but they gave a welcome shelter to the colonists 
after their long voyage and many trying experiences. 
A storehouse was also built for housing the provisions 
and arms, and ;i place for religious services was pro- 
vided by nailing a board between two trees for a read- 
ing-desk and stretching above it an awning of canvas. 

Rev. Robert Hunt, a minister of the Episcopal Church, 
which the king had said in the charter was to be the 
only church in Virginia, conducted service every day 
and preached two sermons each Sunday, The men were 
required to work for the London Company; everything 
was held in common, and all were fed and clothed out 
of the general storehouse. The peninsula, which has 
since become an island, being connected with the main- 



32 SCHOOL IIISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

land by a narrow neck of bare sand, was easily fortified. 
Tt contained about five thousand acres. The eastern side 
being- low and marshy, the town was built' on the west- 
ern side. 

First Council and President. — The box containing the 
names of the councillors is said to have been opened 
about the time the colonists left Cape Henry. The 
members were found to be John Martin, George Kendall, 
Bartholomew Gosnold, Christopher Newport. John Smith, 
Edward Wingfield and John Ratcliffe. Wingfield was 
chosen president. On the voyage from England trouble 
developed between Wingfield and Smith, and accusing 
him of trying to stir up a mutiny among the sailors, the 
president had Smith arrested and kept him a prisoner 
until they reached Jamestown. Thus it happened that 
lie was at first not given a place in the Council, though 
he was no longer held a prisoner. 

Smith and Newport Explore. — Indians were to be 
seen almost every day in the forests around Jamestown, 
but the settlers were at first not disturbed by them. 
Consequently they were able to work on their fort and 
houses, clear some land and plant their crops of wheat, 
melons, potatoes and pumpkins without danger. Leav- 
ing the colonists to finish the houses and fort. Newport 
and Smith, taking a party of twenty-three men. started 
on an exploring expedition up the river. They fre- 
quently passed Indian villages as they went along, and 
after several days came to the Falls, near the present 
site of Richmond, where they met Powhatan, chief of 
the great tribe of Virginia Indians. Paying a visit to 
Powhatan at one of his villages near the Falls, the ex- 
plorers were received kindly by the Indians and given 
the best entertainment the chief and his warriors could 
provide. But it was plainly to be seen that the Indians 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 33 

did not like the coming of the English to Virginia, 
because they knew that they would have to give much 
of their hunting grounds. 

Powhatan. — As we have seen, many of the Indian 
elans in Virginia belonged to one tribe, called the Powha- 
tans, and it was of this tribe that Powhatan was chief 
when the colonists came. He was at this time about 
sixty years old, at the height of his power and greatly 
feared by his enemies. He is said to have been brave, 
energetic and much respected and honored by his fol- 
lowers. His principal village was situated at Werowo- 
coraoco, on the York River, about fifteen miles north of 
Jamestown, and there the colonists in after years had 
many dealings with him. 

Indians Attack Jamestown. — Newport and his party, 
briiiij' unable to get their boat over the Falls, returned 
to Jamestown early in June. Here they learned that a 
party of two hundred Indians had attacked the settle- 
ment, killing one man and wounding several others be- 
fore they were driven off. For several weeks the colo- 
nists continued to be annoyed from this source, until 
they were told by sonic friendly Powhatans that these 
were not members of their tribe, but hostile [ndians 
against whom they would be willing to enter into an 
alliance with the English. This alliance broughl tem- 
porary security to the settlement. 

Newport now returned to England for a new supply 
of colonists, taking with him the three ships in which 
the settlers had come, and the inhabitants of Jamestown 
were left with one small boat. Another matter of in- 
terest about this time was the trial and acquittal of 
Smith, who had demanded that he should be given a 
hearing on the charges made agains! him by President 



34 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Wingfield on the way to Virginia. Following his acquit- 
tal, he was allowed to take his scat in the Council, and 
was soon to render valuable service to the colony. 

Sickness and Famine. — Far worse, however, than the 
Indian attack of which we have just spoken, was the 
epidemic of malarial fever that broke out at Jamestown 
in July, due to the swampy condition of much of the 
little peninsula ; to which was added much distress and 
suffering from the scarcity of provisions. Not only was 
there vory little food in the colony, but what was left had 
become stale and unfit to be eaten ; the weather was 
extremely hot. and the men were not accustomed to the 
sort of work required of them. These things, with the 
fever, rendered their condition almost unbearable. Men 
were dying every day, and the crops and all work had 
to he neglected. It was very fortunate that the Indians 
gave no trouble, for there were not enough well men 
in the colony to defend the fort, had there been an 
attack. By the middle of Septemher more than half of 
the original one hundred and five, including Captain 
Cfosnold. were dead. Referring to their experiences, 
one of the survivors afterwards wrote: "There were 
never Phiglishmen left in a foreign country in such 
misery as we were in this newly-discovered Virginia." 
But with the coming of frost the fever began to die 
out; many deer and wild fowl were shot; oysters became 
plentiful ; and Smith, by trading with the Indians, 
obtained a supply of corn and other provisions, with the 
result that the situation was sufficiently improved for 
the people to take up their regular occupations. 

Wingfield Removed. — No sooner had the fever and 
famine disappeared, however, than the unfriendly feel- 
ing between Wingfield and Smith broke out again. 
Both had friends in the colonv. and these were always 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 35 

ready to take sides in the controversy. For one thing, 
it was charged that Wingfield had kept back for him- 
self and some of his friends the best of the provisions 
during the famine. In addition to this, it was found 
thai he had planned to load the only boat remaining at 
Jamestown with everything of value that he could get 
hold of. and. taking with him those men that were willing 
to engage in such rascality, abandon the colony. In 
these and other ways he had shown himself unfit to 
he president; so that the Council removed him. electing 
John Ratcliffe in his place. During the early part of 
Ratcliffe 's term as president, George Kendall, a member 
of the council, was convicted of a scheme of mutiny 
and put to death. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Who became King of England in 1603? 

_. What kept the English from taking much interest in Vir- 
ginia before 160?)? What was the London Company? 

.'!. What territory was granted to this company? What sort 
of government was provided for in the First Charter? 

4. Tell about the Expedition under Captain Newport. 

•"». Where did the colonists first land.' When did they reach 
Jamestown ? 

(>. Give account of the beginning of Jamestown. Locate .lames- 
town on the map. 

7. Who were the members of the first Council? Who was made 
president f 

8. Tell about the visit of Smith and Newport to Powhatan. 

9. Who was Powhatan .' 

in. What happened at Jamestown while Smith and Newport 

were away .' 
11. Describe conditions at Jamestown during the summer of 

1607. 
1 — - Why was Wingfield removed? Who succeeded him.' 



36 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 

Smith's Early Life. — One of the things which the 
colonists were told to do when they reached Virginia 
was to try to find the "South Sea," or Pacific Ocean. 
This led to several exploring expeditions, in which 
Captain John Smith* was always the leader, and on which 
the explorers had many exciting and often dangerous 
experiences. Being fond of adventure, nothing could 
have pleased Smith better than to engage in this kind of 
work. As a young man, before coming to Jamestown, 
he had traveled through Europe, and in his history of 
his life he tells us many interesting things about his 
daring deeds and narrow escapes. 

Born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1579, he ran away 
from home when fifteen years old and fought with the 
Dutch against the Spaniards in Flanders. A few years 
later he enlisted with the Germans against the Turks, 
and on one accasion slew three Turks in a tournament. 
In a later battle, being wounded, he was captured by 
the Turks and sold as a slave at Constantinople. For 
a time he was treated kindly; but falling into the hands 
of a very cruel master, lie was made to wear an iron 
collar around his neck, was given hardly any elothes, 
and was often beaten. And so, one day, when he had 
been set to threshing wheat with a flail, his master 
coming in and beginning to abuse him, Smith knocked 
him down and beat out his brains with his threshing 
stick. Then quickly putting on the dead man's clothes, 
he made his escape into Russia. For several weeks he 
wandered from place to place, finally reaching his friends 
in Germany. From Germany he went to France, then 
to Spain,, and later to Morocco, returning to England 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



37 



only a short time before the expedition set out to Vir- 
ginia. He had heard much of the New World, and gladly 
took advantage of the opportunity to become a member 
of Newport's expedition. 

Smith Explores. — It was generally believed by the Eng- 
lish at this time 
that the continent 
of North America 
was not more than 
one or two hun- 
dred miles wide, 
and that the Pacific 
( >cean could easily 
be reached by sail- 
ing up one of the 
rivers. IT a v i n g 
found it impossible 
to proceed beyond 
the Palls of the 
James. Smith now 
took a small party 
of men. including 
two Indian guides, 
and started up the 
( Ihiekahominy Riv- 
er, a small stream 
emptying into the 
James a few miles 
above Jamestown. 
it was found necessary to 
canoe, the river being in 




( M'TAIX JOHN SMITH 

He had not gone far. however, when 
leave the boal and use a 
lany places obstructed by 
fallen trees and undergrowth. Leaving his companions 
to guard the boat, he set oul in a canoe with two Eng- 
lishmen and the two Indians. ;i •■< i had gone as Far as 



38 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

While Oak Swamp, when lie was suddenly attacked by 
several hundred Indians under Opechancanougli. the 
brother of Powhatan. The two Englishmen were slain, 
and after a brave resistance in which he killed several 
Indians with his 'pistol and was driven into a swamp up 
to Ins neck in water, he was captured. 

Made a Prisoner. — Being now powerless to escape, 
the idea occurred to Smith that lie might win the favor 
of the Tndians by showing them his pocket compass. They 
were much interested in the wonderful little instrument 
witli tlie needle that always pointed in the same direction, 
and the glass through which they could see the needle 
without touching it. puzzled them greatly, for they knew 
nothing of glass. Smith also told them many interesting 
things about the stars, and this, too, interested them; so 
that there was a difference of opinion among them as to 
what should be done with him, and he was led away to 
Opechancanougli \s village. Here a great feast was pre- 
pared and the Indians engaged in their war-dance, 
making a great frolic of the occasion. 

He Is Taken Before Powhatan. — After this they 
carried their prisoner about the country, exhibiting him 
in several villages, and finally brought him before their 
great chief. Powhatan, who whs at tin's time at Werowo- 
comoco. Here the old chief, seated on a bench in front 
of the tire received Smith in his wigwam, a house nearly 
one hundred feet long. A number of young squaws, 
wearing beads about their necks and with their faces 
and shoulders painted red, stood around the walls, while 
in front of them, in full war paint, stood many warriors. 
A consultation was soon held and it was decided that 
the prisoner should be put to death. Two large stones 
being brought and placed in front of Powhatan, a 
number of warriors seized Smith and placed lis head 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 39 

on the stones, while two other warriors stood ready to 
heat out his brains with clubs. 

Rescued by Pocahontas. — But before these had time to 
strike, Pocahontas,* the favorite daughter of Powhatan, 
a young girl only thirteen years old, being moved with 
pity for the condemned man, rushed up and laid her 
head upon his to shield it from the clubs of the execu- 
tioners. She then begged her father to release Smith, 
declaring that she would sacrifice her life, if necessary, 
to save him, and her pleadings so influenced the old 
chief that he decided to let him go. This resulted in 
Smith's adoption into the tribe, and for two days he 
was treated with great honor and ceremony, he being 
now regarded as a friend instead of an enemy. And so, 
promising to send Powhatan two cannon and a grind- 
stone, he was permitted to return to Jamestown. 

First Supply of Colonists. — When Smith reached 
Jamestown the population had dwindled to only thirty- 
eight, but early in January Captain Newport arrived 
with fifty colonists from England, and two weeks later 
Francis Nelson brought seventy more, together with a 
good supply of provisions. There being not enough 
food to last so many people very long, however. Smith 
took Captain Newport and paid a visit to Powhatan for 
the purpose of getting some corn. They were received 
with great rejoicing by the Indians, who now called 
Smith brother, because he had been adopted into the 
t rilie by the chief, and a big feast, games of various kinds. 
dancing, and other forms of entertainment were pro- 
vided for the visitors. Powhatan acted with great 
dignity in his dealings with the white men. but by 
shrewd trading. Smith persuaded the chief to sell him 
seven hundred bushels of corn in exchange for about two 
pounds of blue glass beads. 

*Spe Appendix A. 



40 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Fire at Jamestown. — This supply of corn should have 
lasted the colonists through the winter, had not, very 
soon after Smith and Newport returned to Jamestown, 
a fire broken out that destroyed, not only a large part of 
the corn, but many of the cabins, some arms, bedding, 
and other articles. This resulted in much suffering from 
cold and hunger, for, instead of taking Smith's advice 
and rebuilding their houses at once, many of the men 
spent their time searching for gold in some yellow dirt 
found near the settlement, and neglected their regular 
occupations. It was some time before they were con- 
vinced that the dirt was worthless, and not until then 
could they be persuaded to return to their work. James- 
town was then rebuilt on a larger scale and better than 
before; more land was cleared, and crops were planted 
for the summer. 

Smith Explores Chesapeake Bay. — Newport and 
Nelson being now ready to return to England, one of 
the ships was loaded with the yellow dirt supposed to 
contain gold and another with valuable cedar timber. 
Taking Avith them former president Wingfield, they were 
accompanied as far as Cape Henry by Smith and a party 
of fourteen men in two open boats. This was the begin- 
ning of Smith's third and longest exploring expedition, 
on which he was absent from the colony from June until 
September and traveled nearly three thousand miles. 
First visiting the Eastern Shore in the neighborhood of 
Cape Charles, where they discovered an island, since 
known as Smith's Island, and had some dealings with 
the Indians, the party continued up the coast of the 
present counties of Northampton and Accomac to the 
north of the Poeomoke River. Here they were overtaken 
by a severe storm, and the boats were driven across the 
Chesapeake Bay to a point near the mouth of the 
Potomac River. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 41 

There now began to be much complaint among his 
men, many of whom were sick, and they begged to be 
taken back to Jamestown. So Smith agreed, and, return- 
ing to the colony, took on a new crew and continued his 
expedition. Following this time the western shore, he 
explored the Potomac River and continued to the mouth 
of the Susquehanna River, near the head of the bay, 
meeting with many new and strange Indian tribes and 
having some interesting and valuable experiences. By 
giving them beads and other trinkets of little value to 
the Englishmen, Smith seldom failed to win the friend- 
ship of these Indians and had little trouble in getting 
from them all the provisions he needed. He afterwards 
made a map of the country he had visited. This was not 
only the first map of Virginia ever published, but a very 
good one. considering the difficulties under which Smith 
made his explorations. 

Smith Succeeds Ratcliffe. — During his absence there 
had been bad management at Jamestown, Ratcliffe being 
removed from the presidency, and two days after his 
return the Council met and elected Smith president. 
This was a public acknowledgement of his ability and 
valuable services to the colony. Not being the sort of 
man who could live in idleness and see things around 
him neglected, the new president at once set to work 
to improve conditions in the settlement. He repaired 
the church and storehouse: built a new fort; secured 
from the Indians, who had harvested bio- crops, a supply 
of corn for the winter, and made some regulations for 
the management of the affairs of the town; so that the 
people were soon better provided for than they had 
been since their arrival in Virginia. 

Second Supply of Colonists. — As fall was setting in, 
Captain Newport again came from England, bring- 



4ii SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ing with him this time seventy colonists, including' two 
women, Mrs. Forest and her maid, Anne Burrus, who 
were the first women to come to Jamestown. The popu- 
lation was thus increased to about two hundred, some 
of the men in the colony having died during the sum- 
mer. Newport also brought a new lot of supplies and 
many presents for Powhatan, among the latter being a 
crown, a scarlet cloak, a bedstead, and other furniture. 
Tie had been told when he left England that he was 
not to return until he had done one of three things — 
find the way to the Pacific Ocean, locate one of the lost 
colonists of Roanoke Island, or discover a lump of gold. 
And so. having rashly promised to do one of tins.' 
things, he concluded that it would be best to try to get 
the lump of gold, for he believed that the Indians knew 
where plenty of this metal could lie found, and that his 
undertaking would be easy if he could only persuad s 
Powhatan to assist him; this is why he took the trouble 
to bring so many valuable presents to the old chief. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell :il)Out the early life of Captain John Smith. 

2. Tell about Smith's expedition up the Chickahominy. Describe 
his capture. 

•'!. !(<>» did he try to win the favor of Opechancanough ? 

4. Give an account of his experience after being taken before 
i'ow hatan. 

5. Wild saved his life? What took place after this.' 

6. How was Smith received on his next visit to Powhatan? 

7. What happened at Jamestown about this time.' 

8. Give an account of Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake 
Bay. 

9. What did Smith do to improve conditions in the colony after 
he became president of the Council? 

lo. What was the population of Jamestown after the coming 
of the second supply of colonists? Why did Newport bring 
I resents to Powhatan .' 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 43 

RELATIONS WITH THE INDIANS. 

Reasons for Keeping the Indians Friendly. — As the 
colonists began to build better houses and strengthen 
their fort, and as Newport had twice brought more 
colonists without taking' many away, the Indians came 
to realize that the Englishmen intended to stay in Vir- 
ginia. At first they were in doubt about this, for Smith, 
on his first visit to Werowocomoco, not thinking it safe 
to tell Powhatan the real intention of the settlers, had 
led the chief to believe that when Newport nexl came 
to Jamestown he would take all of them back. 

Now. the men in the colony were not good farmers, 
the majority of them being unaccustomed, and therefore 
unwilling, to work with their hands, while the others 
were mechanics, carpenters, and idlers. They had come 
to Virginia for adventure or to look for gold, not to 
work: and the result was that the crops raised in the 
colony amounted to very little. The supplies sent from 
England nol being sufficient to last from one expedition 
to another. Smith found it necessary to depend largely 
upon the Indians for corn, meat and vegetables, and 11 
was for this reason, first of all. that he wanted to keep 
on good terms with them. He was not so much afraid 
of an attack on Jamestown as he was that Powhatan. 
refusing to sell them corn, would try to destroy the 
colony by starvation, lie had little faith in the promises 
of the chief, although at his adoption into the tribe it 
had been declared by the Indians thai he would always 
he t reated as a friend and brother. 

More Dealings with Powhatan. — During the early 
part of the winter of 1608 Pocahontas often came to 
Jamestown, bringing presents of corn, venison, and 
other supplies. But toward Christmas a change came 
over the Indians: the vis ; ts of Pocahontas ceased, and 



44 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

when asked for corn they refused to furnish it, de- 
clining in trade even the blue beads of which they 
bad been so fond before. Smith knew that they had 
plenty of corn, for they had raised big crops the summer 
before, and he was determined to make them trade if 
they would not trade of their own accord. The store- 
houses at Jamestown were almost empty and the situation 
was serious, the colonists having for food only a little 
corn bread and water each day. 

As it happened, Powhatan had sent to Smith for some 
men to aid him in building a house at Werowocomoco. 
and hoping to make good use of this opportunity to get 
provisions, he let him have fourteen of his best work- 
men, including four Germans recently brought by New- 
port. With another party of twenty-seven men in two 
boats. Smith followed, going by Old Point, where he was 
told by some friendly Indians that Powhatan was plan- 
ning treachery. As they approached the York River, 
it was found that the Indians were less friendly. At 
Werowocomoco, it being January and very cold, the 
river was frozen nearly half a mile from the shore ; so 
that the men had to land by ramming the ice with one 
of the boats until a point w T as reached where it was thick 
enough for them to walk on it. 

On reaching the shore, they took possession of the 
nearest wigwams, and sent to Powhatan for food. The 
following day the old chief came to see Smith : he was 
unfriendly, and wanted to know why the Englishmen 
had come without being invited. He at first denied that 
lie had any corn, later admitting, however, that he could 
gel forty baskets, which he would trade for a sword a 
basket, reminding Smith that Newport had given him 
swords, clothes, copper and furniture. The beads, for 
which the Englishmen had formerly been able to get all 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 45 

the corn they needed, were ignored by the chief, who 
now wanted swords and more costly articles in trade 

After much argument, however, Powhatan agreed that 
if the Englishmen would leave their arms on the boats, 
lie would let them have, after two days, all the corn 
they could carry away. But Smith objected to this 
arrangement, believing that a trap was being laid for 
him and his men, and knowing that it would not do to 
let the Indians think that their corn was absolutely 
necessary to the colonists, he pretended that if they 
would not trade fairly and as friends, he would do 
without the corn. This had a good effect, and the corn 
was soon brought and loaded on the boats, the English- 
men standing with their guns ready in case there should 
be a sudden attack by the Indians. 

Smith Warned by Pocahontas. — While the loading 
was going on the tide was running out. so that the boats 
were stranded and could not be moved until the next 
high tide. It was now late in the afternoon, and Smith 
decided to spend the night in the wigwams where they 
were already quartered. These wigwams being some 
distance from the main village, he sent to Powhatan for 
some supper. Learning that the party had not gone, the 
Indians at once began to plot to murder the while men. 
Rut Pocahontas, ever the friend of Smith, overhearing 
the plans of her father and his warriors, came and told 
the Englishmen of their danger, and advised them to 
get away as soon as possible. When ten warriors came 
with their supper, therefore, Smith gave them to under- 
stand that if Powhatan was planning trouble he would 
find him prepared to receive him, and as soon as the 
tide began to rise, hearing nothing more from the Indians, 
the Englishmen boarded their vessels and sailed away. 
This was the last time that Smith saw Powhatan. 



46 SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIEGIN1A 

A Visit to Opechancanough. — From Werowocomoco, 
Smith continued up the York River to the village of 
Powhatan's brother, Opechancanough, from whom he 
intended to get more corn. He was received with what 
seemed at the time to indicate friendship, but it soon 
became apparent that here, too, treachery was being 
planned, for the Englishmen found themselves sur- 
rounded by several hundred armed warriors. Unwilling 
to take any chances, but not wishing to fire upon the 
Indians if it could be avoided, which he thought might 
do more harm than good, Smith decided upon a very 
unusual method of bringing Opechancanough to terms. 
Accompanied by several of his men, he rushed into the 
chief's wigwam, and, seizing him by the scalp-lock, 
dragged him before his warriors. 

Opechancanough Brought to Terms. — This unex- 
pected boldness on the part of Smith so astonished the 
chief and his men, that they began to think the daring 
Englishman must be some supernatural being. They 
not only put aside their bows and arrows, but soon 
brought large quantities of corn and venison, and the 
expedition returned to Jamestown. The provisions 
gotten on this expedition were, however, of less value 
to the colony .than was the impression made upon the 
Indians by Captain Smith. His masterful way of deal- 
ing with them filled the natives with great fear and 
respect for the bold Englishman, and made it easy for 
him to trade with them as long as he remained at James- 
town. Fortunately, also, he had avoided bloodshed 
either at Werowocomoco or in his dealings with Opechan- 
canough, so that the Indians had no occasion for wish- 
ins: revenge. 

Conditions at Jamestown. — With the storehouse well 
filled and the Indians on friendly terms again and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA .47 

willing to trade. Smith now turned his attention 
to matters at Jamestown. As we have seen, everything 
was held in common by the colonists, they being fed, 
clothed, and otherwise provided for by the London Com- 
pany, at whose expense they were brought to Virginia. 
Each man's earnings went into the common stock, while 
all were fed from the general supply. Thus it happened 
that the idle lived at the expense of the industrious, 
and less than forty were supporting the whole colony. 
Unwilling for such a state of affairs to continue. Smith 
made the rule that any man who did not perform his 
share of the work should have nothing to eat, 

The enforcement of this rule worked a great change 
in a very short time, and by the end of April, 1609, 
their were twenty good houses in the town, a well had 
been dug. thirty acres of crops had been planted, and 
nets had been arranged in the river for fishing. Smith 
also put some of the men to making tar, soap and glass, 
while others were engaged in preparing timber and 
sassafras for shipment to England. 

The outlook for the summer was good, when it was 
discovered that a number of rats brought over in New- 
port's ship had collected in the storehouse and made 
such waste of the corn that scarcely any was left. The 
men had now to leave their work to look for provisions 
again. The Indians were liberal with what com they 
had left from the winter, but this was not sufficient. 
In their search for food, therefore, the colonists became 
widely scattered, some Living with the Indians, others 
fishing at different points along the river, while a few. 
it being mid-summer, lived by picking berries in the 
woods. 

Argall Arrives. — While affairs at Jamestown were in 
this condition. Captain Samuel Argall, arriving from 



48 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

England, brought letters in which members of the Lon- 
don Company complained that such things as had been 
sent home from the colony were of little value; that 
Smith had been accused of dealing too severely with 
the Indians ; that a new T charter had been granted the 
London Company ; that Smith had been removed from 
the presidency, and that a great expedition, commanded 
by Lord Delaware, was preparing to sail for Virginia. 
This news, which evidently meant that there were 
soon to be some important changes at Jamestown, came 
as a surprise to the colonists, who now anxiously awaited 
the arrival of the new expedition. At this point it is 
worth while that we should see what had been going on 
in London that caused this new charter to be granted, 
and Smith to be removed. 



QUESTIONS. 

Why was it important that the Indians should lie kept on 

friendly terms? 

Describe Smith's journey to Werowocomoeo. Tell about his 

efforts to get. Powhatan to trade for corn. 

Give an account of what took place after the com was put on 

tlie ship. 

Where did Smith go after leaving Werowocomoeo and for 

what purpose? 

Tell how he brought Opechancanough to terms. What good 

effect did this visit have upon the Indians? 

What rule did Smith make at Jamestown about working? 

What were some of the effects of this rule? What soon 

caused the colonists to be again without sufficient food? 

Tell what news was brought by Argall from England.' Who 

did he say was preparing to sail for Virginia? 



CHANGES IN THE LONDON COMPANY. 

Why Smith Was Removed. — Having never hem to 
Virginia, the members of the London Company, living 
in comfort and luxury at home, knew little of the 
dangers and difficulties with which the colonists were 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 49 

surrounded in far-off Jamestown, except what was told 
them by Newport, Wingfield, Ratcliffe and others re- 
turning from the colony. Smith had written in answer 
to some complaints brought by Newport when he came 
with the second supply of settlers, but he had been 
removed before this letter readied London. Captain 
Newport seems to have been honest and fair in what he 
told about conditions at Jamestown, but we may be sure 
that AVingfield and Ratcliffe and their friends did not 
fail to put all the blame they could on Smith. 

The London Company was made to believe that he 
was responsible for the quarrels and jealousies ; that, 
instead of trying to teach the Indians Christianity, lie 
spent more time than necessary in trading with them, and 
above all, that he had not done what he could and should 
have done to build up trade between Jamestown and 
London. Tl was decided, therefore, to get rid of not 
only Smith, but. if possible, all of the old settlers, who 
were believed to he a lazy, worthless lot of adventurers. 
But, however true may have been the opinion as to the 
majority of the settlers, we know that no man in the 
colony had done more to build up Jamestown, to pro- 
vide the men with good food, or to protect them from the 
Indians, than had Smith, without whose valuable ser 
vices it is probable that the colony would have been 
destroyed long before. 

London Company Reorganized. — The London Com 
pany, having given up its first charter, was now re- 
organized in order to obtain more money and a new 
form of government for the colony in Virginia, and on 
May 23, 1609, a new charter was granted by King 
James I. By this charter the Company was made a 
corporation with more than six hundred stockholders, 
among whom were men from every class, profession and 



50 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

trade in London. Those who were able to do so paid 
for their shares, but there were many who became stock- 
holders by agreeing to go to Virginia as colonists, which 
entitled each such person to one share of stock. For 
seven years the colonists were to be fed and clothed at the 
Company's expense, their earnings going into the com- 
mon fund, at the end of which period each stockholder 
was to receive a grant of land in the new country in 
proportion to the number of shares owned. 

The Second Charter. — The new charter made impor- 
tant changes in the boundaries and government of Vir- 
ginia. The boundaries were extended to include a strip 
of country four hundred miles wide, two hundred north 
and two hundred south of Old Point, and extending 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. But the most 
important change was in the method by which the colony 
was to be governed. Instead of two councils, as under 
the First Charter, there was now to be only one, the mem- 
bers of which were appointed by the king, vacancies 
thereafter being filled by vote of the stockholders in the 
London Company. 

This council, holding its meetings in London, was 
given the power to make all laws for the government of 
Virginia, to appoint all colonial officers, and to collect 
certain customs duties. The officers provided for were a 
governor, a lieutenant-governor and an admiral, and all 
authority and power in the colony was to be in the hands 
of the governor, who should be responsible for his acts 
to the council in London. 

Arrival of Third Supply. — The council now elected 
Lord Delaware* governor of Virginia for life, and 
under his direction a new expedition, known as the 
Third Supply, was soon fitted out. On June 1, 1609. 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 51 

nine ships carrying- five hundred colonists sailed from 
London in command of Captain Newport. ' It being 
necessary for Lord Delaware to remain for some time in 
England, the new government was entrusted to Sir 
Thomas Gates, lieutenant-governor, and Sir George 
Somers, admiral, and these men, with the charter and 
all important papers, were taken aboard Newport's ship, 
the Sea Venture. All went well with the expedition 
until within a few days of the American coast, when the 
fleet was caught in a storm. One small vessel was sunk, 
while the Sea Venture, having become separated from 
the other ships, was driven on the rocks and wrecked 
in the Bermuda Islands with one hundred and fifty 
people on board. The remaining seven ships, having 
weathered the storm, arrived at Jamestown in August. 

Smith Continues in Charge. — Smith had already been 
removed by the council in London in favor of the new 
governor. Lord Delaware, but in the absence of the Sea 
Venturt there was no one in the colony with authority 
to succeed Smith, and it was decided that he should 
continue in charge until the missing ship could be heard 
from. He was not permitted to retain the presidency 
without opposition, however, for his old enemy, Ratcliffe, 
a member of the recent expedition, having got together 
some of his friends, wished himself to be made president. 
Smith had the support of the old settlers and many of 
the new. and the trouble was at last ended by the arrest 
of Ratcliffe as a disturber of the peace. 

The new colonists were found to be even less indus- 
trious than those brought on former expeditions, reek 
less and more difficult to manage and inclined to find 
fault with their crude accommodations, which, together 
with the lack of sufficient houses for so large a number, 
produced much confusion and disorder at Jamestown. 



52 SCHOOL HISrOBY OF VIRGINIA 

Tliis led Smith, who had always favored a better site 
for the colony than the low, marshy peninsula, the 
source of so much sickness, to plan two new settlements. 

His Last Adventure in Virginia. — Sending a small 
party in charge of John Martin to establish a settlement 
near the mouth of the Nansemond River. Smith went 
with another party, under Fram-is West, up the -lames 
to a point near the present site of Richmond, where he 
bought a tract of land from the Indians. Martin's 
settlement soon failed as the result of trouble with the 
natives, and the colonists returned to Jamestown. The 
party under AVest was more successful, however, having 
the advantage of Smith's presence and advice in dealing 
with Indians. As soon as the settlement had been gotten 
in good condition, Smith started back to Jamestown. On 
the way a bag of powder in his boat exploded, wounding 
and burning him so severely that, in his agony and to get 
relief, he jumped into the river and was almost drowned 
before being rescued. 

Smith Leaves Virginia. — Suffering and disabled, he 
arrived only to find disorder and confusion again pre- 
vailing at Jamestown as the result of Ratcliffe's mischief 
in trying to stir up a mutiny among the unruly colo- 
nists. Ratcliffe had prepared a letter containing numer- 
ous false charges against Smith's management of 
affairs in Virginia, which he was sending by the ships 
now about to return to England. Being in need of 
medical attention and unable to undertake the task of 
getting the colony under control again, Smith decided to 
take advantage of the opportunity to return to London 
and answer Ratcliffe's charges before the London Com- 
pany. So. leaving George Percy in charge of James- 
town, and bidding farewell to his friends and the scenes 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 53 

of so much labor, hardship and adventure spent in the 
effort to make the colony a success, he left Virginia 
never to revisit the colony.* 



QUESTIONS. 

Why did the London Company remove Smith from the presi- 
dency .' 

Tel] something about the changes that were made in the 
London Company. 

What kind of government was provided for Virginia in the 

Second Charter? What were to be the boundaries of the 

colony? Who was appointed the first governor of Virginia? 

Give an account of the experiences of the expedition sent out 

by Lord Delaware. 

Why was the loss of the Sea Venture specially unfortunate.' 

Why did Smith continue in charge at .Jamestown? With 

whom did he l>eyin to have trouble soon after the arrival of 

the third supply of colonists.' 

(Jive an account of his last adventure in Virginia. 

Why did Smith decide to return to England? When did he 

leave Virginia? Find on the map (a) Richmond, (b) the 

Nansemond River. 

Give your impressions of the value of Smith's services to 

Virginia. 



HARD TIMES AT .JAMESTOWN. 

Famine and Distress at Jamestown. — Smith's depar- 
ture was followed by what is known as the "Starving 
Time" at Jamestown. In the few weeks between the 
arrival of the colonists and the accident that resulted in 
his return to England, it had been impossible for him to 
provide enough houses for all the settlers or to obtain 
sufficient provisions to last the colony through the winter, 
though witli proper management his successor might have 
attended to both of these matters in time to have prevent- 
ed the suffering that was to follow. Kill President Percy, 
besides being in poor health and unable to look after the 

*Five years later, in 161 t. Smith explored the coast of what is imw 
New England. 



54 SCHOOL BISTORT OF VIRGINIA 

work to be done, did not know how to manage the kind 
of men with whom he had to deal. The Indians, too, 
having learned of the absence of Smith, not only refused 
to sell corn to the settlers, but became hostile, slaying 
the Englishmen and their stock whenever opportunity 
offered. Ratcliffe and a party of thirty men, who had 
gone to trade with Powhatan for corn, were attacked, 
and, with the exception of one boy, all were slain. The 
boy, Henry Spilman, was made a prisoner and after- 
wards lived with the Indians. This state of affairs so 
intimidated the inhabitants of Jamestown that they 
hardly dared be seen outside the fort for fear of being 
scalped. Thus the harvest was not gathered, firewood 
could not be provided for the winter, and work on the 
new houses ceased for lack of material. 

When cold weather and snow came, there being not 
enough shelter for all, many died from exposure, and 
after a while there came to be more houses than occu- 
pants. As soon as a house became empty it was pulled 
down and used for firewood, while many of the timbers 
of the fort were used for the same purpose. As the 
winter advanced the stock of food failed, and those 
that had survived the cold and exposure began to die of 
starvation. When the last bit of corn was gone, boiled 
roots and herbs were eaten, and on one occasion the body 
of an Indian killed just outside the fort was dragged in. 
boiled and used for food. At last the people resorted to 
eating their own dead friends and neighbors, and one 
poor starving wretch is said to have killed and salted 
his wife, for which, having been discovered with the 
partially-consumed body hidden away in his cabin, he 
was burned alive by the others. As conditions became 
worse in the town, there being only two small boats in 
the colony and escape back 1o England impossible. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 55 

the Indians daily lurked nearer the town, shooting 
poisoned arrows into the settlement. Knowing that the 
settlers were too few and too weak from suffering to 
offer resistance, the natives were content to await the 
slow destruction of the settlement. 

Arrival of Gates, Somers and Newport. — After ten 
months spent in the Bermudas, the passengers of the 
ill-fated Sea Venture succeeded in huilding, out of tim- 
ber cut in the islands and such beams and fastenings as 
could be recovered from the wrecked ship, two small 
vessels, which they christened Patience and Deliverance. 
Having laid in a store of provisions and other supplies, 
Gates. Somers and Newport, with nearly one hundred 
and fifty people aboard, set out for Virginia, and on 
May 10th, 1610. arrived at Jamestown. 

But instead of finding the prosperous and happy com- 
munity which they hoped to find, they were met at 
the landing by a mere handful of weak, sick, half- 
starved creatures begging for food, for of the five hun- 
dred people left in the colony by Captain Smith, only 
sixty remained, the others ha vino- died in the short 
spare of six months. All around were newly-made graves ; 
most of the cabins had been torn down for firewood; the 
fort had been pulled to pieces, and on every side there 
was ruin and disorder. 

They Abandon Jamestown. — The provisions broughl 
by Newport's ships, though relieving for the time the 
famished settlers, could last scarcely a month, and there 
being no longer any possibility of procuring corn from 
the natives, it became necessary to choose between re 
turning to England, now that there were ships enough. 
and remaining at Jamestown in the hope of receiving 
fresh supplies from Lord Delaware during the summer. 



56 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

A consultation was held, and the prospect of relief from 
England seeming too uncertain to be relied upon, it was 
decided to abandon Jamestown. And so, on Thursday. 
-June 7. 1610, the drums beat for the people to assemble, 
such little things as could be carried away were loaded 
on the ships, the guns and ammunition, to prevent their 
falling into the hands of the Indians, were buried inside 
the fort, and the entire party went aboard the vessels at 
the landing and started down the river. 

Met by Lord Delaware. — But there was relief near at 
hand. On his arrival in London, Smith told Lord Dela- 
ware of the loss of the Sea Vail tire and the condition 
of affairs at Jamestown when he left there, and the 
latter at once set out for the colony with one hundred 
and fifty men and a big supply of provisions. Having 
sailed from London early in April, he Avas just about 
due in Virginia. On Friday, the day after their depar- 
ture from Jamestown, as the little fleet came to the 
broad mouth of the river, a black speck was seen far 
out on the waters of Hampton Roads. At first this was 
thought to be an Indian canoe and little notice was taken 
of it, but very soon all eyes were fixed on the approach- 
ing object, for a long boat could be distinguished. Lord 
Delaware's own vessel was in advance of the others, 
coming to meet them with a message. His ships had 
reached Old Point Comfort and the governor himself 
was in the party. And now, the feeling of despair and 
gloom giving away to rejoicing and hope, a great shout 
went up from the grateful settlers. The colony was 
saved and Virginia would never again be abandoned. 

Return to Jamestown. — The ships were turned up 
stream, and on Sunday, June 10, they came to James- 
town. Before the provisions were unloaded, however, 
or even before the old settlers were permitted to tell of 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 57 

their sufferings and recent trying experiences, the peo- 
ple were drawn up in line before the deserted ruins while 
Lord Delaware kneeled and thanked God that he had 
come in time to save Virginia. Later they assembled to 
listen to a sermon, after which Lord Delaware made a 
speech in which he told the colonists how their idleness 
and disobedience had been the cause of their misfortunes 
in the past, warning them that as their future governor 
he would expect the strictest obedience in all matters 
having to do with the good of the colony. 

Why the Colony Nearly Failed. — Before studying 
what took place after the speech of Lord Delaware, we 
should see what had been responsible for so much trouble 
and suffering in the colony. We know that good manage- 
men1 at Jamestown and fair dealing with the Indians 
would probably have prevented the "Starving Time," 
and we may believe that Smith would have saved the 
colony if he had remained in Virginia. He had left in 
the storehouse sufficient provisions for three months, and 
there were about six hundred hogs, besides sheep, goats, 
and horses. Much of the live stock had been destroyed 
by the Indians, while the provisions had been used up 
without anything being provided to take their place. 

At the bottom of all there were three Ihings responsi 
hie tor the near failure of the colony: (1 ) the lack of a 
good government, (2) the idle, reckless, unruly eharae 
ter of the settlers, and (3) the system under which the 
settlers were employed, known as the communistic sys- 
tem. We have seen how the members of the first council 
were always quarrelling with one another, and thai 
there hail been i'our presidents in less than four years. 
We have also seen that the colonists were constantly 
getting into trouble at Jamestown, especially when Smith 
happened to be away: that they were either unaccustomed 



58 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

or too lazy to work, a few industrious persons having 
to support both themselves and the others, and that 
Smith had finally to make the rule that only those who 
worked should be allowed to eat. 

But what the colony needed most of all was a strong 
government and a man at the head who would command 
obedience, for in this way the most unruly could be made 
to behave and to do their share of the work under any 
system. And this was the kind of government which 
Lord Delaware in his speech proposed to give the people, 
promising that idleness and disobedience would be pun- 
ished and every man given justice. 



QUESTIONS, 

Whom did Smith leave in charge at Jamestown 7 How did 
the- colony fare after Smith's departure? 
Describe the ' ' Starving Time ' ' at Jamestown. 
Tell about the experiences of Gates, Somers and Newport in 
the Bermudas. 

What conditions did they find upon their arrival at James- 
town ? 

Why was it decided to abandon Jamestown? When did this 
take place? 

Whom did they meet near the mouth of the James Eiver? 
Tell about the return to Jamestown. What did Lord Dela- 
ware do as soon as people came ashore? 

Name three things that were responsible for the near fa dure 
of the colony. 



IMPROVED CONDITIONS. 

Lord Delaware's Administration. — The government 
provided for in the Second Charter went into effect with 
the beginning of Lord Delaware's administration, and 
he was the first man to bear the title of Governor of 
Virginia. The Second Charter, as we have seen, did aw T ay 
with the council in the colony and placed all authority 
in the hands of the governor, who was to be responsible 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 59 

for his acts to the council in London. Delaware proposed 
to govern fairly and kindly, but firmly, and in this way 
ho removed one of the three principal causes of the fail- 
ure of the colony under the First Charter. 

Colonists Set to Work. — On the day following their re- 
turn to Jamestown he set the colonists to work. Regular 
hours of lahor were established, and idlers, the cause of 
so much mischief before, were not tolerated. Each man 
was required to work six hours a daj^, from six o'clock 
to ten in the morning, and from two to four in the 
afternoon. A new fort was built, the houses were re- 
paired, more land was cleared, and in a short time the 
colonists found themselves better provided for than 
ever before in Virginia. The church received its share 
of attention also. Cedar pews, a walnut altar, a high 
pulpit and a baptismal font were put in, and a bell was 
installed, which, besides being used to call the people 
to worship, was rung to let the men know when to begin 
and quit work. The governor was very fond of flowers, 
and at every service would have the church decorated 
with some of the bright wild bowers from the neighbor- 
ing woods. Accompanied by a guard of yeomen, and 
richly dressed in lace and velvet, he attended all ser- 
vices. 

Somers and Argall. — It was not long, however, before 
the colony was confronted with the old difficulty of 
getting provisions. The unfriendliness of the Indians 
made it impossible to trade with them for corn as had 
been the custom in Smith's time, and Delaware .it once 
set about to find another source of supply. Somers and 
Argall were sent with two ships to the Bermudas to <zvt 
a cargo of salted pork. The ships becoming separated 
in a storm at sea, Somers was left to proceed alone to 
their destination, where, soon after landing, he was taken 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



sick and died. His men, instead of returning with the 
pork, as they had been commanded to do, headed their 
ship for England, and nothing more was heard of them 
at Jamestown. In the meantime, Argall's vessel had 
been driven as far north as Cape Cod, where for a time 




SHOWnSM 



he engaged in fishing. Later, cruising down the coast 
and entering the Chesapeake Bay, he sailed up the 
Potomac River, and there met a party of friendly 
Indians, with whom Henry Spilman was living. With 
Spilman's aid, he obtained from the Indians as much 
com as his vessel could carry back to Jamestown, where 
he arrived in September. Seeing the colonists thus well 
provided for, Newport decided to return to England, 
and with him went Sir Thomas Gates to make a report 
to the London Company on conditions in Virginia. 

Delaware Returns to England. — The colony, number- 
ing nearly three hundred people at the time of Gates' 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 61 

departure, fared during the winter much better than 
had been the experience of the previous winter, though 
there were many deaths among the newer settlers, who 
were unused to the hardships and exposure of life in 
the wilderness. The only trouble of serious consequence 
with the Indians occurred on the occasion of a visit by 
Delaware and a small party to the Falls of the James, 
when an unexpected attack by the natives resulted in 
tlie death of four Englishmen. Late in the winter the 
governor's health became bad. and in March, 1611. he 
returned to England, leaving George Percy temporarily 
in charge. About this time Newport was sailing from 
London with a new supply of provisions sufficient to 
last for a year, and was accompanied by Sir Thomas 
Dale, who, with the title of High Marshal, had been 
appointed to govern the colony in the absence of Lord 
Delaware and Gates, the lieutenant-governor. 

Dale's Administration. — Dale, therefore, began Ids 
administration with the arrival of the expedition in 
.May. The colonists who came over with him were the 
most shiftless, worthless lot of men that had yet landed 
in Virginia, but. fortunately for the peace of the colony, 
they were to lie in charge of a man who knew how to 
deal with them. In the brief space of two months under 
Percy's mild rule the colony had begun to fall back 
into the old condition of discontent and restlessness, so 
that altogether Dale was the kind of governor that was 
needed. lie was hrave. energetic and sensible, ami 
having been a soldier in Europe, knew how to command 
obedience. While ever ready to befriend ami help those 
who tried to do right, he was stern and merciless in 
punishing offenders. 

A New Code of Laws.— One of Dale's first acts was 
to put into effect a code of laws approved by the London 



62 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Company for the government of the colony. These laws 
mentioned a number of offenses, for which penalties were 
prescribed, among the offenses being failure to attend 
church regularly, blasphemy, trading with the Indians 
without permission, destroying of crops, failure to per- 
form daily work, and killing of poultry or cattle with- 
out the governor's consent. A man found guilty of dis- 
respect to a minister was to be whipped in public three 
times, while any criticism of either the king or the Lon- 
don ( lompany was to be punished with death. 

Modes of Punishment. — The most common modes of 
punishment at this time were whipping, hanging and 
shooting, though other forms were occasionally used, 
such as boring through the tongue with a red-hot iron 
or dagger, slitting the ears and "'breaking on the wheel." 
Dale made use of these punishments as often as there was 
occasion, and we are told by one who lived at that time 
that his severity was even then less than some of the 
offenders deserved. 

The Third Charter. — In 1612, King James granted to 
the London Company a Third Charter, making several 
important changes in the management of the Company "s 
affairs and giving to the council absolute control over 
the colony. It provided that the council should meet 
every three months for the election of officers and the 
transaction of such business as might be necessary. The 
Company was given the right to make all laws for Vir- 
ginia and to establish whatever form of government it 
should consider best at any time. This resulted in no 
immediate change in the government, however, for under 
Dale's stern rule the coloiry was already beginning to 
prosper. 

New Settlement Begun. — A few months after Dale's 
administration began, the arrival of another supply of 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 63 

colonists brought the population up to nearly eight 
hundred, so that the colony could no longer be accom- 
modated in Jamestown. A small settlement called 
Kecoughton, had already been begun near the present 
site of Hampton, and there was "West's settlement near 
thf Falls of the James. Now the Dutch Gap peninsula 
was chosen as the location for another settlement. A 
fort and blockhouse were constructed, three streets were 
laid out. a church and storehouse were built, and three 
hundred colonists went to live in the new town, which 
they named Henrico City. Dale established other settle- 
ments at Bermuda Hundred. Shirley Hundred and Dale's 
Gift, the last being near Cape Charles. 

Early in the year 1612. Jamestown contained two rows 
of frame houses, some being two stories high, situated 
on a long street, a church, and three storehouses joined 
together, and was surrounded by a strong fort. 

Pocahontas Brought to Jamestown. — The Indians had 
been hostile ever since Smith's departure, and nothing 
had been seen or heard of Pocahontas. The establish- 
ment of new settlements along the James made it im- 
portant that there should be friendly relations with the 
natives, and Captain Argall, finding Pocahontas staying 
with the Potomac Indians, decided to capture her and 
briny- her to Jamestown to be held as a prisoner until 
Powhatan would agree to make peace with the colonists. 

In carrying out this scheme, Argall secured the assist 
ance of Japazaws, chief of the Potomac elan and a friend 
of Smith's, with the promise of a copper kettle, while 
• lapa/aws. in turn, was aided by his wife. After much 
argument and persuasion, the Indian girl was induced 
to go aboard the Englishman's ship with Japazaw's 
wife to examine the wonders of the vessel, and here she 
was made a prisoner. < >n being informed of her captor's 



64 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

plan to bring her father to friendly terms with the 
colonists, she at first objected, and burst into tears when 
told that she would never see Powhatan again unless she 
made peace between her people and the white men. 
Finally, however, she yielded to Argall's arguments and 
returned with him to Jamestown, being accompanied by 
Henry Spilman, the English boy who, since the capture 
of Ratcliffe's expedition, had made his home with the 
Indians, and who had formerly aided Argall in obtain- 
ing corn. 

Powhatan Delays — Powhatan at this time held a 
number of the settlers prisoners at Werowocomoco, and 
besides, had in his possession many stolen swords, guns 
and pistols. He was told, therefore, that in order to 
procure the release of his daughter he would not only 
have to make peace with the colonists, but must also 
return the prisoners and arms. These terms worried the 
old chief greatly, for, while he loved his daughter devot- 
edly and wished her return at once, he was unwilling to 
agree to the demands of the Englishmen if it could be 
avoided. The result was that Powhatan did his best 
to cheat the colonists out of their captive by means of 
all sorts of false promises, so that two years passed in 
this way while Pocahontas remained at Jamestown. The 
treachery of the old chief was too well known to the 
settlers for them to place any confidence in his promises, 
and Dale, growing tired of the delay and trifling on the 
part of Powhatan, was about to send a force to compel 
him to make peace, when the affair took a very different 
turn. 

Marriage of Pocahontas. — There was living at James- 
town at this time a widower named John Rolfe. who, 
shortly after meeting Pocahontas, fell in love with her 
and proposed marriage. Having come to love Rolfe in 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 65 

return, the Indian girl, now about nineteen years old, 
accepted liis proposal, and word was sent to her father 
asking his consent to the marriage. This the old chief 
readily gave, and sent his brother and two of his sons to 
attend the wedding. In the meantime, Pocahontas, hav- 
ing been instructed in the Bible by her lover, accepted 
the Christian religion and was baptized, being given the 
name of Rebecca. She was the first Indian to become 
a member of the Christian church. The marriage took 
place in April, 1614, in the little church at Jamestown, 
before an assembly of both Indians and Englishmen. 
Following the ceremony, Powhatan's representatives 
entered into a treaty of peace with the colonists, and 
thus friendship was established with the Indians in a 
way very different from that planned by Argall. 



QUESTIONS. 

I low did Lord Delaware propose to govern the colonists? 
Describe some of the changes ami improvements made by 
the new governor. 

Why was it decided to send Somers and Argall to the 
Bermudas for provisions? What became of Somers? Tell 
of AryaH's experiences? 

When did Delaware return to England? Why.' Who suc- 
ceeded him .' 

What kind of a man was Sir Thomas Dale.' What kind of 
people came over with him .' 

What were some of the laws pul into effect by Dale.' 
Tell about the kinds of punishment 1 sed in Virginia during 
Dale 's administration. 

When was the Third charter granted to the London Com- 
pany? What provision did it contain for the government of 
Virginia .' 

What new settlement was established by Dale.' What other 
settlements were there at this time.' 

Why iiid Irgall wish to capture Pocahontas? Give an 
account of her capture. 

What message was senl to 1'owhatan.' Why was he un- 
willing to yield to the demands of the English? 
Whom did Pocahontas meet at Jamestown.' Tell about her 
marriage. What effect did this have on Powhatan? 



66 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

THE COLONY GROWS. 

Communism Abolished. — We have seen that one of the 
causes of the failure of the early colony was removed 
by Lord Delaware when he began to give Virginia a 
strong government, and now another of these causes, 
the communistic system, was to be done away with. 
Finding that about one-fifth of the population were 
supporting not only themselves but the others, and that 
this system resulted chiefly in idleness and dissatisfac- 
tion. Dale decided, in 1616, to abolish communism. He 
believed that by giving each man the means of earning 
something for himself, it would not be necessary to 
resort so often to punishment to keep the settlers out of 
mischief. He therefore had the land in each settlement 
laid out into three-acre lots, and to each of the colonists 
was given one of these lots for life, on condition that 
every year the owner should pay six bushels of corn into 
the storehouse to supply those who were employed by 
the London Company. 

This was the beginning of individual ownership of 
land and the first taxation of which there is any account 
in Virginia. The change was undoubtedly a wise one, 
for the colony soon began to prosper as never before. 
Crimes of all kinds were fewer, the people became more 
contented, and the colony was done with famine forever. 

Dale Leaves Virginia. — In 1616, after an administra- 
tion lasting five years, Dale had to return to England 
on account of private business. Governor Delaware was 
still unable to come to Virginia, and George Yeardley, 
who was already a member of the colony, was appointed 
lieutenant-governor to succeed Dale. When Yeardley 
took charge, the colony was in fine condition, and he 
continued to govern in the same stern manner as had 
his predecessor, for the results of Dale's administration 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 67 

were sufficient evidence of the wisdom of his policy, 
lie had ruled with a heavy hand, it is true, but he had 
ruled successfully, and this was the most important thing 
at that time. In maintaining strict order, establishing 
peace with the Indians, abolishing communism, and in- 
troducing the cultivation of tobacco, Dale had laid so 
firmly the foundation for prosperity, safety and con- 
tentment that the success of Virginia was no longer 
uncertain. 

Virginia in 1616. — At the beginning of Yeardley's 
administration there were six settlements in Virginia 
besides Jamestown. The total population was about 
three hundred and fifty, including a few women and 
children, while Jamestown, with one hundred and fifty 
inhabitants, was the largest settlement. Dale's Gift, on 
the Eastern Shore, consisted of fifteen or twenty men. 
who were stationed there to catch fish and make salt. 
The other settlements were scattered along the James 
River from Kecoughton, near Old Point, to Henrico 
( 'ity, at Dutch Gap. The population consisted of officers, 
laborers and farmers. Among the laborers were black- 
smiths, carpenters, shoemakers, tanners, tailors, and 
fishermen. Some of these had their own shops, while 
others were employed by the London Company, being 
fed out of the common storehouse. The officers were 
overseers in charge of the laborers who worked for the 
( lompany. 

Cultivation of Corn and Tobacco. — The colonists had 
begun to raise both corn and tobacco in considerable 
quantities. Tobacco, one of the new things discovered 
by Raleigh's colonists on Roanoke Island, and first in- 
troduced by them into England, had come to be used a 
great deal in Europe. Smoking and the taking of snuff 
were two of the most popular practices among gentlemen 



OS SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

at the time of Dale. Though the Indians raised small 
patches for their own use, John Rolfe was the first 
Englishman to attempt its cultivation in Virginia. 
Rolfe 's experiments, which were made in 1612. showed 
that the Virginia soil was well adapted to the raising 
of tobacco, and Dale and his successor. Yeardley, en- 
couraged the people to plant large crops of it. Finding 
tobacco more profitable than corn, the colonists were 
disposed to plant less corn and more tobacco. But Dale 
knew that corn was a necessity, and to insure the rais- 
ing of a sufficient quantity to supply the colony, he made 
the rule that every farmer must plant at least tAvo acres 
of corn before he would be allowed to plant any tobacco. 
Those who disobeyed this rule forfeited their tobacco 
to the colony. The result was that more corn was raised 
than the colonists could use, and as early as 1615 the 
Indians had begun to buy corn from the Englishmen. 
It is said that some Indian sachems mortgaged their 
land to obtain five hundred bushels of corn. 

Pocahontas Visits England. — In 1616. Rolfe and 
Pocahontas visited England, going in the same ship with 
Dale. Landing at Plymouth, they later went to London, 
where Lady Pocahontas, for so she was called by the 
English, was shown many attentions. She was presented 
at court by Lady Delaware, was entertained at recep- 
tions and banquets, and everywhere welcomed. The 
story of her valuable services to the Virginia colony 
was known, and this, together with the fact that an 
Indian was a new and strange sight in London, caused 
the people to regard her with much curiosity. At the 
theatre and other public gatherings she was always the 
center of attention. 

Smith Calls on Her. — Captain John Smith, on learn- 
ing that his friend was in London, hastened to call on 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



her. Pocahontas was surprised to see Smith, though she 
had not forgotten him, for, she explained, "They did 
always tell us you were dead, and 1 did not know other- 
wise until I came to Plymouth." Smith addressed her 
as Lady Pocahon- 
tas, the title given 
her in his country, 
which seemed to 
offend her; turn- 
ing her face away, 
she commenced to 
wee]), and remind- 
ed him that lie had 
always called her 
1 1 is child in Vir- 
ginia, while she 
had call e d him 
father. As they 
talked over old 
times in the wilder- 
ness, she g r e w 
happy again, how- 
ever, and her tears pocahontas 
dried and her face brightened at the recollection of her 
childhood at Werowocomoco and among her own people. 
Death of Pocahontas. — Smith did not see her again. 
As she was about to sail for Virginia, in March, 1617. 
she was taken sick, dying at (Jravesend just outside of 
London. Here she was given a Christian burial and her 
remains were laid in the parish church. She Left one 
son. Thomas Rolfe, who after receiving his education in 
England, came to Virginia to live. Through him from 
Pocahontas are descended some of the most prominent 
families in Virginia to-day. 




70 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Argall Made Governor. — Following the administra- 
tion of Yeardley, which lasted only one year and was 
without incident, Captain Samuel Argall was made 
lieutenant-governor. Surprising as it may seem after 
what we have seen of his services in obtaining pro- 
visions for the colony and in seeking to establish peace 
with the Indians. Argall was a very dishonest man. He 
ruled Virginia in the same stern way as had Dale and 
Yeardley. hut instead of trying to help the people and 
make conditions better, he used his power to enrich him- 
self. While sending to England reports that affairs were 
satisfactory in the colony, he was busy stealing from 
the people and the London Company. He sold cattle 
belonging to the colony, used the Company's ships and 
men to trade with the Indians for his own profit, robbed 
the settlers of their possessions, doing, in fact, everything 
that an unscrupulous man might do to add to his per- 
sonal wealth. His conduct finally became so high-handed 
that the people could no longer put up with it. Com- 
plaints were sent to England, and Lord Delaware was 
ordered by the London Company to take personal charge 
in Virginia. 

Yeardley Made Governor. — Hearing orders for the 
arrest of Argall and the confiscation of his property. 
Lord Delaware set out with two hundred emigrants in 
the spring of 1618. But Delaware fell sick on the way 
and died before his ship could reach Virginia, and when 
the expedition finally arrived at Jamestown, the papers 
containing the orders relating to Argall came into the 
latter 's possession. The knowledge of what Delaware 
had been instructed to do so enraged Argall that for a 
lime he behaved worse than ever, and again complaints 
of his conduct were made to the London Company. 
In the meantime, Sir George Yeardley. recently knighted 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 71 

by the king, had been appointed to succeed Lord Dela- 
ware, and when it was learned thai conditions had grown 
worse in Virginia, he was at once dispatched with in- 
structions to send Argall home for trial. As it hap- 
pened, however. Argall had a friend in London, Lord 
Rich, afterwards Earl of Warwick, who had obtained 
Ids appointment as lieutenant-governor. This Lord Rich 
had been sharing in the governor's dishonest gains, and 
when he heard of the orders for the latter 's arrest, to 
save his own reputation as well as that of his friend, 
sent a vessel to Jamestown ahead of Yeardley's expedi- 
tion, which enabled Argall to make his escape before 
the new governor could carry out his orders. 

Results of Argall's Administration. — Argall's had 
rule, short though it was. resulted in great injury to 
the colony. When Yeardley arrived, in April, 1619. the 
population was barely four hundred. Though the culti- 
vation of tobacco, begun under Dale and encouraged by 
yeardley while lieutenant-governor, continued in a small 
way, there was discontent; prosperity had ceased, and 
settlers no longer came. The knowledge in England of 
the way mi which the colonists were treated by the 
governors made it difficult for the London Company 
to find emigrants who were willing to go to Virginia. 
An English criminal, being given his choice between 
hanging and settling in Virginia at this time, is said 
to have chosen hanging. This stale of affairs aroused 
the Company to the necessity of doing something to 
remedy conditions in the colony, without which all hope 
of ever making the venture a success financially would 
have to be given up. 

Sandys and a New Policy. — For several years there 
had been a division among the members of the London 
Company relating to the management of the colony. 



72 SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

One faction, of which Sir Thomas Smith, treasurer of 
the company since 1609, was the leader, favored the 
continuation of the old methods, and this faction had 
been responsible for the appointment of Argall. Another 
faction, headed by Sir Edwin Sandys, believed that a 
change ought to be made in the management of affairs 
in Virginia. Early in 1619 Smith's followers were de- 
feated and Sandys became treasurer. The treasurership 
was the most important office in the company, and 
Sandys, who was progressive in his views and liberal 
in his ideas of government, immediately undertook to 
improve matters in the colony. This distinguished and 
patriotic gentleman believed that before there could be 
either prosperity or contentment in Virginia it would 
be necessary to provide a better form of government. 
He also favored the establishment of permanent homes 
by the colonists and sought to encourage the cultivation 
of the soil, which he considered the real source of wealth 
in the new country. Through his influence, Yeardley was 
appointed governor, and now mechanics, merchants, 
farmers, lawyers, physicians and well-to-do English 
landowners were induced to settle in the colony. These 
were for the most part men of intelligence and good 
character, and from this time on a better class of colonists 
began to come over. 

The "Great Charter." — As the first step in carrying 
out his ideas, Sandys had the London Company issue to 
the colony what is known as the "Great Charter of Com- 
missions of Privileges, Orders and Lawes." This docu- 
ment provided for two things especially that were soon 
to prove of great benefit, (1) a change in the method 
of government, and (2) full title to land. The power of 
the governor was limited and a legislative, or law-mak- 
ing, body was created. The governor, a deputy-governor 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 73 

and the governor's council were to be appointed by the 
council sitting in London, while the members of the 
law-making body were to be elected by the colonists. 

The provision relating to land titles gave to each per- 
son emigrating to Virginia at his own expense, fifty acres 
for himself and as much for each member of his family. 
This applied also to settlers who were living in the 
colony as early as 1616. A fee simple title was given 
on condition of the payment of a tax called "quit rent," 
and that the owner should reside on the land for three 
years. The land could be sold or transferred, and the 
oldest land titles in Virginia date back to this time. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Ilnw did Dale propose to do away with the need of so much 
punishment? How had the people lived before this time? 
What was the first tax levied in Virginia? In what vcm 
was this ' 

2. When did Dale leave Virginia? How long had he been in 
charge? Who succeeded him? 

3. What was the condition and extent of Virginia in 1616? 

4. Who was the first Englishman to try to raise tobacco in the 
colony.' When.' W'hai rule did Dale make about raising 
com. Why was such a rule necessary? 

5. Tell about the visit of Pocahontas to England? What title 
was given her by the English people? 

6. Give an account of her meeting with Smith. 

7. When did she die? Where is she buried.' 

8. Tell something about Argall's administration. How was his 
administration different from that of Dale? 

9. Tell the circumstances under which Yeardley was sent over 
to succeed Argall. Mow did Argall make his escape? 

in. What bad effect did . Kigali's administration have on the 
growth of Virginia. 

11. Who was Sir Edwin Sandys.' What changes did he wish to 
bring about in Virginia? Why were such changes necessary? 

12. What was the "Greal Charter"? What important things 
diil it provide for in Virginia .' 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



THE FIRST LEGISLATURE. 

Yeardley Calls an Election. — Governor Yeardley was 

instructed to put into effect the provisions of the Great 
Charter as soon as he should arrive in Virginia, and 
early in the spring of 1619 he issued a call for the 
diction of representatives in the new law-making body 




SHDWIXI, SKTTI.KMKXTS IX 1619. 



to meet at Jamestown on the 30th of July. With the 
promise of better government in Virginia, colonists were 
already coming in large numbers; several new settle- 
ments had been established, and the population, number- 
ing less than four hundred at the close of Argall's 
administration, had grown to more than one thousand. 
The settlements were widely scattered over a strip of 
country seventy miles long and from ten to twelve miles 
wide, extending on both sides of the James River from 
its mouth to Dutch Gap. This territory was divided 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

into eleven districts, or boroughs*, and each borough 
was allowed to choose two representatives, called bur- 
gesses. 

The First Legislative Assembly. — Late in July the 
burgesses began to arrive at .Jamestown, coming for 
tlit- most part in small boats: for as yet there were 
few horses in the colony and travel was chiefly by water. 
The little wooden church was selected as the most con- 
venient place of meeting, and on July 30, 1619, the first 
legislative assembly ever held in America was called 
together by Governor Yeardley. There were present, 
besides the governor, twenty-two burgesses and the coun- 
cil, and the meeting was opened with prayer by the 
Jamestown minister. Mr. Bucke. The governor and 
council occupied the choir seats, while facing them in 
the body (if the eliureh sat tin 1 burgesses. The secretary 
of the council was made speaker, a secretary and ser- 
geant-at-arms were appointed, and each member was 
required to take the oath of office before the business 
of making laws was taken up. The session lasted five 
days, the meetings beginning one hour after sunrise, 
and a fine was imposed upon any member who arrived 
late or was absent. 

Some of the Laws Passed. — The assembly, which soon 
came to be known as the House of Burgesses, passed a 
number of laws for the government of the colony. One of 
ils first ads was that making tin 1 Church of England the 
Church of Virginia, and levying a tax for the support 
of ils ministers. A petition was addressed to the London 
Company asking that each man might be allowed to own 
the land which he cultivated, and that steps mighl be 

*The eleven boroughs were James City. Charles City. Henrico 
Martin Brandon. Martin's Hundred, Lawne's Plantation, Ward's Planta 
tion. Argall's Gift, Flowerdieu Hundred, Smith's Hundred and Kei 
ton. Smith's Hundred afterwards became Southampton Hundred, and 
Kfcoughton was changed in Hampton 



76 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

taken to establish a college in Virginia. Every person 
was required to attend church on Sunday ; drunkenness, 
gambling and idleness were to be punished ; tobacco was 
made the money of the colony, and the people were for- 
bidden to wear expensive clothing. The burgesses and 
all ministers were to be paid in tobacco, and the price of 
such articles as were bought and sold was to be expressed 
in pounds of tobacco. 

White Servants in Virginia. — After the Virginians 
began to have self-government the population increased 
rapidly. More than twelve hundred colonists came dur- 
ing the year 1619, of whom the majority were of a very 
different type from the early settlers, such as Captain 
John Smith and Sir Thomas Dale had to deal with. 
The cultivation of tobacco was fast becoming a profitable 
industry in the colony, and these new colonists, instead 
of making their homes in the settlements already exist- 
ing, acquired large tracts of land along the James River. 
The forests were cleared away and extensive fields of 
tobacco, wheat, corn and barley were planted in the 
fertile soil. The larger farms, called plantations, re- 
quired many hands for the cultivation of these crops, 
so that there was a demand for laborers. This resulted 
in the employment of a class of white men known as 
"indentured" servants, because the paper containing the 
terms under which they were to serve was called an 
indenture. The period of service for which these men 
were bound varied from three to ten years, and during 
this time they could lie bought and sold by their masters. 

First Negro Slaves. — The practice of trading in negro 
slaves was common at this time, and for many years 
European vessels had engaged in stealing the Africans 
from their homes and selling them to the sugar planters 
in the West Indies. The demand for laborers on the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 77 

Virginia tobacco plantations became known to these 
traders, and in August, 1619, a Dutch man-of-war visited 
Jamestown with a cargo of negroes and sold twenty as 
slaves to the colonists. Governor Yeardley sought to 
encourage the introduction of slavery, and is said to 
have bought eight of the negroes for his own use on his 
plantation at Bermuda Hundred. The people saw noth- 
ing wrong in owning slaves, believing that it was no 
more a sin to buy these negroes than to buy cattle or 
horses. This was the beginning of negro slavery in 
Virginia, a system that was to continue for more 
than two hundred and fifty years. At first, however, 
the negro population of Virginia did not increase 
rapidly, the people preferring white servants. 

Wives for the Colonists. — Up to this time few per- 
manent homes had been built in Virginia. The popula- 
tion consisted for the most part of unmarried men, there 
being few women and children in the colony. In the 
absence of any sort of social life or family ties, the men 
still looked upon England as home, and many of them 
would soon become dissatisfied and go back. Sir Edwin 
Sandys, realizing that the colony could not grow and 
prosper as it should under these conditions, in 1619 
caused ninety young women to be sent over and offered 
as wives to the colonists. These were soon happily mar- 
ried to the planters, and it was not long before sixty 
more were sent to seek husbands, while others came 
from time to time for a number of years. Each man was 
free to select his own wife and she her husband, but 
before they could marry he was required to pay to the 
London Company one hundred and twenty pounds of 
tobacco, the cost of his bride's transportation to Virginia. 

Yeardley Retires. — In 1621, after serving the colony 
two years, Yeardley decided to retire to his plantation 



78 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

at Bermuda Hundred, and Sir Francis Wyatt was ap- 
pointed to the governorship. Yeardley's administration, 
though brief, had accomplished much for the colony, 
which was now in a far more thriving condition than 
ever before. His term was notable for four things, (1) 
the establishment of representative government, (2) the 




SHOWING SETTLEMENTS IN 1622. 



introduction of negro slavery, (3) the beginning of per- 
manent homes, and (4) the growth of tobacco culture. 
Tobacco raising had become the principle industry and 
the chief source of wealth of the colonists, and large 
quantities of this product were being sold every year in 
England. 20,000 pounds were shipped in 1619, 40,000 
pounds in 1620. and 60,000 in 1622. Corn, wheat and 
1 tailcv were raised in considerable quantities, sufficient 
for the use of the people, though not as extensively as 
tobacco. Substantial houses had begun to take the place 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 79 

of the crude shacks of earlier days, and many of these 
were provided with furniture brought from England. By 
1622 there were four thousand people in 'the colony. 
Settlements had been built as far up the James as the 
present site of Richmond, while eighty families were 
living along the sbores of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Great Indian Massacre. — This long, narrow colony 
was exposed to the Indians living along the York and 
Pamunkey rivers, but the Indians had been friendly 
since the marriage of Pocahontas, and the colonists had 
ceased to expect an attack. It was not an unusual thing 
to see tlie natives moving about the settlements, where 
their presence bad become so familiar as to attract little 
notice, and many of them visited the settlers at their 
homes. Pocahontas and Powhatan were both dead, how- 
ever, and < tpechancanough, the brother of Powhatan, had 
been chief since 1618. He had not forgotten his treat- 
ment a1 the hands of Captain John Smith, and probably 
longed for vengeance on the white men. Viewing with 
alarm the spread of the English settlements, this treach- 
erous old chief began to plot the destruction of the 
colonists, while all the lime he pretended friendship. He 
declared that the stars would fall before he should 
violate the treaty with the Englishman, and continued to 
send presents to the settlers. But he only awaited a 
favorable opportunity for making an attack. 

This happened in 1622, when an Indian, called Jack 
the Feather, was slain in retaliation for Ids having killed 
an Englishman. A few days later, at noon on March 22. 
the Indians attacked the colony from one end to the 
oilier. There was not a settlement that escaped, and in 
the short space of three hours three hundred and forty 

seven of the English had 1 n massacred. Jamestown 

ami several of the nearby settlements suffered less than 



so SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

the rest, for a friendly Indian living with a Mr. Pace at 
•Jamestown, having learned that his people were planning 
to destroy the colonists, told his master in time to warn 
the inhabitants. But there was not a settlement in which 
men, women and children had not heen scalped. This 
terrible disaster, however, did not have the effect that 
such a calamity would have had a few years earlier. 
Instead of being cowered by the frightful slaughter, the 
enraged colonists turned out and hunted the Indians 
without mercy. Sixteen hundred Englishmen pushed 
into the forests, burning the villages and killing the 
natives wherever they were found. The Indians were 
driven far into the interior, and a peace was established 
that lasted twenty-two years. 

Overthrow of the London Company. — In 1624. King 
James, who was unpopular with many of his subjects, 
was having trouble with Parliament, the English law- 
making body. There were at this time two strong 
political parties in England, the Royalists and the Pa- 
triots. The former took sides with the king, while 
the latter supported Parliament. Many of the mem- 
bers of the London Company were also members of 
Parliament, while nearly all of them belonged to the 
Patriot party. This caused bitter feeling between the 
king and the London Company, and James decided that 
it would be a good idea to get rid of opposition from this 
source by dissolving the Company. Taking advantage 
of certain reports that had come to England of bad 
management in Virginia, he sent a party of men, called 
commissioners, to examine more fully into conditions 
in the colony. The commissioners, of whom one was 
Samuel Argall, returned to England with the report 
that they had found the condition of affairs in Virginia 
very unsatisfactory. This was just what the king 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA SI 

wished to hear, for it gave him an excuse for bringing 
charges against the London Company, and on June 16, 
1624, the charter of the Company was annulled and 
Virginia made a royal colony. Thus, after eighteen 
years, all connection of the London Company with the 
colony of Virginia came to an end. It had spent what 
to-day would be nearly live hundred thousand dollars 
and had sent over nine thousand people in the effort to 
found a successful English state in America. 

The First School in Virginia. — It will be remembered 
that the House of Burgesses, at its first sesion in 1619, 
petitioned the London Company that steps might be 
taken for the erection of a school in Virginia. Accord- 
ingly, in 1621. the Company decided that a free school 
should be established for the education of white children 
and as a means of instructing the Indians in Christian- 
ity. Rev. Patrick Copeland, a former missionary in the 
East Indies, was put in charge of the matter, and such 
a school was soon opened in what is now Charles City 
I 'oiinty. 

There was much interest in the undertaking, and 
this led to the proposal that a university should also 
be built, to be located at Henrico City. Ten thousand 
acres of land were appropriated, subscriptions amount- 
ing to more than two thousand pounds sterling were 
made towards an endowment, and George Thorpe was 
sent over to be rector of the new university. Cope- 
land's school, known as the East India School, was to he 
preparatory to the university. Hut just as the Easl 
India School was getting well started and Thorpe had 
about completed his plans for the school at Henrico, 
the Indian massacre came. Thorpe was one of those 
slain by the Indians, and Copeland's school was com- 
pletely destroyed. The London Company did not in- 



82 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

tend to abandon the undertaking, however, and, in 1624. 
Copeland was about to be sent to restore the free school 
and to carry out Thorpe's plans for a university, when 
tbe overthrow of the Company put an end to the matter. 
There was nothing further done towards the founding 
of a college or university in Virginia for nearly seventy 
years. 



QUESTIONS. 

What was the population of Virginia in 1610? What was 

the extent of the settlements? What had been the character 

of the settlers before this time? What kind of people now 

began to come from England? 

When did the first. Legislative Assembly meet? Where? What 

was it called? Give the names of some of the boroughs 

represented. 

YVIial act was passed in regard to religion? What were some 

of the other acts passed? 

Who were known as indentured servants? How did there 

happen to be such servants in Virginia? 

When was negro slavery introduced into Virginia? How did 

the people at that time look upon slavery? 

What caused the London Company to send women to the 

colony? On what conditions were the colonists allowed to 

marry these women? 

When did Yeardley retire from the governorship? Who 

succeeded him? For what things was his administration 

notable? What was the extent and population of Virginia 

at this time? 

Give an account of the great Indian massacre of 1622. How 

long had there been peace with the Indians? 

What led to the overthrow of the London Company? When 

was its charter revoked? fiow long had this company been 

in existence? How much had it spent and how many people 

had it sent out in the effort to build up the Virginia colony.' 

Give an account of the first attempt to found a school in 

Virginia? What were the plans for a university? What 

prevented its establishment? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 83 

UNDER THE CROWN. 

RULER IN ENGLAND: Francis West (1627-1628). 

King James I. (1603-1625). Jol,n Potts (1628-1629). 

King Charles T. (1625-1649). John Harvey (1629-1635). 

John West (1635). 

GOVERNOR of Virginia: John Harvey (1635-1639). 

Frauds Wyatt (1621-1626). Francis Wyatt (1639-1641). 

George Yeardley (1626-1627). William Berkeley (1641-1652). 

Virginia as a Royal Colony. — As a royal colony, Vir- 
ginia continued to be governed just as it had been under 
the London Company, though the management of its 
affairs now passed into the hands of the king. He was 
to appoint the governor and members of the council, 
while the colonists were to choose the burgesses, as they 
had done since 1619. James I. intended to have a con- 
stitution prepared for the colony, in which, it is said, 
he planned some changes in the government, but he died, 
in 1625, before this document could be completed. Fear- 
ing that the new king, Charles 1, might carry out Irs 
father's ideas for Virginia, the Council sent Sir George 
Yeardley to assure Charles thai the colonists were satis- 
fied with their government and hoped that it would not 
he changed. 

Change of Governors. — In 1626. Wyatt resigned from 
the governorship on account of bus : ness thai made it 
necessary for him to return to his home in Ireland, and 
Yeardley, then still in England, was sent to succeed 
him. This appointment of Yeardley was understood by 
the colonists to mean that the king would respect their 
wishes, and they ceased to be uneasy in regard to any 
fhana'es in the government of Virginia. After an ad- 
ministration lasting only a year and a half, Yeardley 
died, being buried at Jamestown. Sir John Harvey. 
who was named as the next governor-, could not come to 
the colony at once, and Francis West, a member of the 



84 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Council and brother of Lord Delaware, occupied the office 
temporarily. West was followed by Dr. John Pott. 
The latter, though a man of considerable education and 
culture and the best physician in the colony, was both 
dishonest and dissipated. Tlis conduct while governor 
was anything but becoming in one occupying such a 
responsible office. When Harvey at last arrived, in 
1629, to assume the governorship, Pott was arrested 
and convicted on the charge of stealing cattle from the 
settlers. He was not sent to jail, but was made to re- 
main in Ins own house until instructions could be re- 
ceived from the king as to what should be done with 
him. On the recommendation of Governor Harvey, he 
was finally pardoned, and continued to reside in A T irginia. 
Lord Baltimore Arrives. — In 1629, Lord Baltimore, 
a prominent English gentleman and a Catholic, with 
his family and some followers, arrived at Jamestown. 
He wished to establish somewhere in Virginia, a settle- 
ment for Catholics, and came for the purpose of decid- 
ing upon a suitable location for such a settlement. 
Though he intended to obtain from the king a grant 
of land for his people and proposed to live peaceably 
with the Virginians, he did not meet with a very cordial 
welcome in the colony. The colonists, who were for the 
most part members of the Established Church, did not 
favor the idea of a Catholic settlement in their midst. 
They told Lord Baltimore, therefore, that he might re- 
main in Virginia only on condition that he would take 
an oath acknowledging the king as the head of the 
church. But like all true Catholics. Baltimore recog- 
nized the Pope as the supreme authority in all religious 
matters, and refused to take the oath proposed by the 
Virginians. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 85 

Having learned that few settlements had been made 
south of the .Tames River, he returned to England with 
a view to getting from Charles I. a charter to territory 
in that section. The Council sent William Claiborne,* 
then secretary of state for the colony, to England to 
look after Virginia's interests in the matter. Claiborne 
succeeded in preventing Baltimore's obtaining a grant 
south of the James, but could not keep the Catholics 
out of the colony entirely. The country north of the 
Potomac River, which was also claimed by Virginia, 
being then unoccupied, Charles I. gave Baltimore per- 
mission to establish a settlement in that territory. Before 
he could send an expedition over, however. Lord Balti- 
more died, and his son, Cecilius Calvert, second Lord 
Baltimore, founded the colony of Maryland in 1634.t 

Dispute Over Kent Island. — The Virginians based 
their claims to the country north of the Potomac on 
the charter of 1609. which said that Virginia should ex- 
tend two hundred miles north and two hundred miles 
south of Old Point. King -lames, when he annulled the 
charter of the London Company, promised that the 
boundaries of the colony as already defined, should not 
be changed. The Virginians objected to giving up Mary 
land, hot they could not keep the Catholics out because 
the latter had the king's permission to settle there. 
A settlement already existed on Kent island, however, 
where Claiborne had taken up land and established one 
hundred men as early as 1631. Kent Island, though far 
up in the Chesapeake Bay, near the mouth of the Pa- 
tapsco River, was considered a part of Virginia, since 
the Maryland grant was for unoccupied territory only. 
But Lord Baltimore's settlers claimed that it belonged 

See Appendix A. 
tin this year the first counties, or shires, were laid out in Virginia. 
These were Charles City, Elizabeth City, Henrico. Tsle of Wight, .lames 
City. Northampton, Warwick anil York eight in all. 



SO SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 

to Maryland because it was within the boundaries of 
their grant. This led to a dispute and later 
to serious trouble between Claiborne and the 
Marylanders, which continued for twenty-four years. 
In spite of Claiborne's appeal to Charles I. for pro- 
tection of his interests in Kent Island, the settlement 
was finally captured by an armed force from the new 
colony. Those living there were made prisoners, and all 
of Claiborne's property was confiscated. The Virginia 
council supported Claiborne in an effort to recover the 
island, but, in 1657, the quarrel was decided against 
Claiborne, and he had to give up all claim to Maryland. 
Harvey Arrested. — Governor Harvey was very un- 
popular with the colonists. He made himself disliked 
by taking sides with Maryland in the Kent Island dis- 
pute. Besides being proud and overbearing in Ms 
manner and abusing the members of the Council, he 
tried to take matters in his own hands in the colony. He 
had no respect for the authority and duties of the House 
of Burgesses. The Burgesses, in 1624, had declared that 
no governor should levy taxes without their consent, 
hut Harvey both levied taxes and made laws without con- 
sulting the House of Burgesses. He increased fines with- 
out just cause; refused to tell how he spent the money 
received from taxes, and granted to new settlers land 
that belonged to others. The people soon grew tired 
of this oppression, and, in 1635, the governor was arrested 
and sent back to England in charge of Dr. Pott. Com- 
missioners, appointed by the Council, were instructed to 
lay their complaints before the king as soon as they 
should arrive in England. But Charles I. was at first 
angry with the Virginians, and refused to see the com- 
missioners, declaring that Harvey should return at once 
to the colony. Two years passed, during which the de- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 87 

posed governor remained in England, -John West oc- 
cupying the governorship temporarily. The king allowed 
Harvey to return to Virginia in 1637, but two years later 
recalled him, appointing Sir Francis Wyatt as his 
successor. The affair with Harvey should be remembered 
as the first open resistance to oppression and tyranny 
in America. 

Sir William Berkeley. — Wyatt's second administra- 
tion was without incident in the history of the colony. 
In 1641, Sir William Berkeley was appointed to the 
governorship, retaining the office, as we shall see, for 
thirty-five years. Berkeley was well educated, being 
a graduate of Oxford University: was a man of unusual 
culture, and had traveled extensively on the continent 
of Europe. While in Virginia, be resided at Green 
Spring, about eight miles from Jamestown, where he 
lived in all of the dignity and luxury that might become 
a king. The dwelling was a six-room brick building, 
with a large hall, two passageways, spacious closets and 
attic, and Mas one of the few brick houses in the colony 
at thai time.* 

Another Indian Massacre. — Opechancanough, now 
old and feeble, was still chief of the Powhatan Indians. 
He had a trouble with his eyes that caused the lids 
to droop, making it impossible for him to see without 
raising them with his hands. In spite of this affliction, 
his hatred of the Englishmen was as hitter as ever. 
Peace had reigned between the settlers and the natives 
now for twenty-two years, hut Opechancanough was de- 
termined to make one more attempt to drive the white 

^Berkeley seems to have been the first governor to introduce 
oi' lu-iik for general building purposes. In L639 the old wooden church 
at Jamestown hud been replaced by a brick structure, tin- tower of which 
is still standing. This was built of brick brought from England. Ber- 
keley's mansion at Green Spring, however, was made of brick made in 
the colony. In l<>4'2 he had thirty-two brick houses erected in 
town at public expense, and had the graveyard enclosed with a brick wall. 



SS SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

men out of Virginia. At this time there had come to 
be many settlements on the York and Pamunkey rivers. 
and the exposed condition of these outlying settlements 
offered the old chief a templing opportunity for a last 
attack. As had been the case in 1622, the settlers were 
not expecting trouble. In 1644. when the Indians sud- 
denly came upon them with tomahawk, hatchet and 
scalping knife, the white men were wholly unprotected. 
Nearly five hundred men, women and children were 
butchered before the Englishmen could gather in suffi- 
cient numbers to offer resistance. But the outrage was 
not allowed to go unpunished ; the savages were pur- 
sued on foot and on horseback until they were driven 
further than ever into the wilderness. Opechancanough 
was captured and taken to .Jamestown, where he was 
held as a prisoner. While in captivity he was kindly 
treated, but his hatred of the English continued un- 
diminished. His death was finally caused by one of his 
guards cowardly shooting him in the back. 



QUESTIONS. 
When did Virginia become a royal colony? Why was it called 
a n.val colony? Of what did the government consist.' 
Tell something about the governors between 1626 and 1629. 
Why was Dr. Pott arrested? 

What kind of settlement did Lord Baltimore wish to establish 
in Virginia? Why did the Virginians not welcome him? Tell 
about the settlement of Maryland. 

Who was William Claiborne? Why did he claim Kent Island 
for Virginia? How long did the dispute between Mankind 
and Virginia last? How was it finally settled? 
Why was Governor Harvey unpopular with the Virginians? 
Why should the arrest of Harvey be remembered.' 
When did Sir William Berkeley become governor? Tell what 
you know about his early life? Where did he make his home 
in Virginia? 

Give an account of the Indian massacre in 1644. Who was 
at this time chief of the Powhatan Indians? 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH. 

RULER IX ENGLAND: GOVERNORS IN VIRGINIA: 

Oliver Cromwell, Protector William Berkeley (1641-1652). 

(1649-1658). Richard Bennett (1652-1656). 

Richard Cromwell. Protector Edward Diggs ( 1656-1 65s |. 

(1658-1660), Samuel Matthews (1658-1660). 



Charles I. Put to Death. — The trouble between the king 
and Parliament, which brought about the overthrow of 
the London Company, continued and increased, until, 
in 1642, civil war broke out in England. The people 
were divided into two parties, the Cavaliers and the 
Puritans/- The Cavaliers supported the king and the 
Established Church, f The Puritans took sides with 
Parliament, and were known as Parliamentarians, or 
"Roundheads." Virginia, being so far separated from 
the mother country, could take no part in the war, and 
remained quiet and prosperous. The Virginians, who 
were for the most part members of the Established 
Church, sympathized with the king. They were much 
grieved when, in 1640, they learned that Charles I. had 
been taken prisoner and put to death. 

The Commonwealth. — After the execution of the king. 
Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the Puritans, made him- 
self ruler of England with the title of Lord Protector. 
He called his government the Commonwealth. The Vir- 
ginians, however, refused to recognize Cromwell's govern- 

Manj of the Cavaliers were courtiers and men of noble blood. Thej 
led a gay, reckless, daring life, and cared very little for the doctrines of 
religion. The Pixritans were first so called because they wished to purify 

the Established Church. The name Roundheads was given the d 

account of the way in which some of them shaved their he ids. Thej 
wove plain clothes and did no1 approve of the carelessness of the Cavaliers 
in religious matters. While composed mainly of men from the untitled 
(dasses. this party included some of the nobility. Their lead 
Cromwell, was a plain country squire. 

tThe Episcopal Churoh was made the Established Church of England 
in L534. 



no 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF riEGINIA 



ment. The House of Burgesses met in 3649, and, as their 
first act, passed resolutions expressing respect for the 
late king and extending their sympathy to Charles II., 
whom thev wished to see on the throne. 




AMBLER HOUSE \T .7 A M KSTOWN, SITE OF HOUSE OF BURGESSES. 

Cavaliers Welcomed in Virginia. — At this period, 
many of the Cavaliers,* finding it unpleasant as well as 
unsafe to remain in England hecause of the bitter feel- 
ing between the two parties, came to live in Virginia. 
Here they were welcomed by the colonists. Many of them 
had owned large estates before the war began, which had 
either been destroyed or taken from them. Thus the 
colony received a big addition in population and ;i most 
desirable class of settlers, for these immigrants were 
men of education and culture. Between 1650 and 1670 
the population of Virginia increased twenty-five thou- 
sand. The Cavaliers, telling of their misfortunes and 
the terrible war that had been waged against their un- 
fortunate king, aroused the sympathy of the Virgin- 
ians for Charles IT., and he was invited to take refuge 

Vmong these Cavaliers are found the names of Randolph. Washing- 
ton, Monroe, Madison. Mason, Tyler, Pendleton, Marshall, Cary, Parke, 
Ludwell, Robinson, and many others that have become prominent. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 91 

in the colony. He did not accept their invitation, but 
for three years they continued to regard him as their sov- 
ereign. 

Cromwell and Virginia. — During the first three years 
of the Commwealth, Parliament was too busy at home to 
find time to deal with rebellions colonies. In 1652. how- 
ever, the royalists having been entirely overcome in Eng- 
land, a small fleet was sent to force the Virginians to obey 
Cromwell. This fleet, on reaching Virginia, found that 
Governor Berkeley had prepared for defense and did 
not make an attack. Instead, negotiations, were opened 
for a peaceable settlement of the matter. The Virgin- 
ians agreed to acknowledge the authority of the Com- 
monwealth, provided their submission should be re 
garded as voluntary; their country was not to be treated 
as if il had been conquered, flic people were to have all 
the liberties of free-born Englishmen, and were not to 
be taxed without the consent of the House of Burgesses. 
So, upon these terms a treaty was made between the 
House of Burgesses and the commissioners representing 
the Commonwealth. When this was done Berkeley, 
who was a strong royalist, resigned the governorship, 
and went to live at Green Spring. Richard Bennet, 
one of the eommissioners and a Puritan, was elected 
governor. 

Virginia Prospers. — During the period of the Com 
monwealth, from "1640 to 1660, Virginia grew and pros- 
pered. The Cavaliers liked the new country, and the 
greater number of them were contenl to remain in 
Virginia after the restoration of Charles II. They took 
up large tracts of land along the rivers, which they called 
plantations, and devoted their time to the improvement 
of their new homes. The soil was fertile, almost any 
crop would grow, fish and game were plentiful and the 



92 SCHOOL HISTORY OF V1BG1N1A 

climate was mild, so that Virginia came to have the 
reputation of being a good place in which to live. 

Berkeley Made Governor Again. — In 1658 Oliver 
Cromwell died and was succeeded by his son, Richard 
Cromwell. Richard Cromwell possessed little ability as 
a ruler, and it was believed that the Commonwealth 
would soon fall. In 1660, therefore, the House of Bur- 
gesses resolved that, since there was then in England no 
ruler generally recognized, the supreme power in Vir- 
ginia must be regarded as belonging to the "Grand 
Assembly of Virginia." Having passed this resolu- 
tion, they showed their loyal disposition by electing 
Sir William Berkeley governor. At the same time 
they said that he must call an assembly at least once in 
two years, and that he must not dissolve it without the 
consent of a majority of the members. Berkeley ac- 
cepted office on these terms. 



QUESTIONS. 

Who were the Puritans? Why did the Virginians sympathize 
with King Charles 1.? 

Who was ruler of England from 1649 to 1658? What did lie 
call his government? What title did he use? 
Why were the Cavaliers welcomed in Virginia .' Why did 
many of them leave England? 

What changes were made in the government of Virginia din- 
ing this period? 

Give an account of the growth of Virginia from 1649 to 1660. 
Who succeeded Oliver Cromwell? What resolution was passed 
by the House of Burgesses? On what terms did Berkeley 
accept the governorship? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



93 



UNDER THE CROWN. 



RULER IN ENGLAND: 

King Charles II. (1660-1685). 
Kino- James II. (1685-1689). 
King William and Queen Mary 

(1689-1694). 
King William III. (1694- 

1702). 
Queen Anne (1702-1714). 
King George I. (1714-1727). 
King George II. (1727-1760). 
King George III. ( 1760-1820). 



GOVERNOR OK VIRGINIA* : 
William Berkeley (10611-1677). 
Herbert Jeffries (1677). 
Henrv Chicheley (1677-1678). 
Lord Culpeper (1678-1684). 
Lord Howard (1684-1690). 
Francis Nicholson (1690-1692). 
Edmund Andros ( 1692-1698 l. 
Francis Nicholson! 1698 L704 i. 
Earl of Orkney (1704-1749). 
Lord Albemarle ( 1749-1758 i 
Francis Fauquier 1758-1768). 
Lord Botetourt (1768-1772). 
Lord Dunmore (1772-1776). 



BERKELEY S SECOND ADMINISTRATION. 

The End of the Commonwealth. — The Cavaliers soon 

succeeded in regaining power in England. The old form 
of government was restored, and Charles II., who had 
been living in Holland, returned and was crowned king 
in May, lfi(i(). This event caused much joy in Virginia, 
where so many of llie followers of Charles I. had come 
to live. The new king recognized Virginia as one of the 
five dominions over which he ruled, and. because the 
colonists had remained loyal to him during the Com 
monwealth when the other four fought against him, 
she was often called the "Old Dominion." This name 
is still in use. 

The first act of Charles [I., in regard to colonial 
affairs, was to confirm the appointment of Berkeley as 
governor. Tims we have the beginning of Berkeley's 



*Several of the governors named here were represented in Vii 
by a deputy, or lieutenant-governor. Those lieutenant-govern nrs were; 
Herbert Jeffries (before he was made governor); Henrj Chichele; 
1684) ; Nathaniel Bacon, the elder, (1689) ; Edward Nott (1705) ; Ed 
Jennings (1706-1710); Robert Hunter (1710); Alexander Spotswood 
(1710-1722); Hugh Drysdale M722l72i;i: Uoberl Carter (1726); Wil- 
liam Gooch (1727-1749); John Robinson, Sr, (1749); Louis Burwell 
(1750-1752); Robert Dinwiddie (1752-1758); John Blair (1758) 
William X. Ison ( 177n-177'J). 



!I4 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

second administration, as it is usually called. He was 
perhaps the strongest royalist in Virginia, and during 
his first administration, had been very popular with the 
people. From the beginning of his second administration, 
however, we shall see that he acted very differently to- 
ward the colonists, and did many things that displeased 
them. He seemed to have forgotten the conditions upon 
which he accepted office from the House of Burgesses. 

Confidence in Charles II. — The Virginians liked self- 
government. They were proud of their assembly, and 
opposed any act of the king or governor that might 
interfere with its powers. We recall how governor Har- 
vey was treated several years before this, when he 
wanted to levy taxes without the consent of the Bur- 
gesses. And so, we may ask the question: Why did the 
Virginians remain loyal to the king when they might 
have taken sides with Cromwell against Charles I.? Why 
did they not take this opportunity for breaking away 
from England and English rule? There were two rea- 
sons. The first was, that they had been treated kindly by 
Charles I., being allowed to make their own laws, and 
were almost independent in all but name. They naturally 
supposed that Charles IT. would treat them as well. A 
second reason was, that, as has been pointed out. the 
population was at this time made up largely of the 
( Javalier element, many of whom had fought for the king 
in England. The few Puritans who had come to Vir- 
ginia, had been driven out by the governor in 1649. 

The Navigation Laws. — Parliament, in 1660, at its 
first session after the Restoration, passed laws, called 
Navigation Laws, to give England complete control of 
colonial trade. They required, (1) that all tobacco ex- 
ported from Virginia should be sent to England in 
English ships, manned by English sailors, and, (2) that 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 95 

all foreign goods imported should be brought to Vir- 
ginia in English vessels. This requirement put an end 
to the trade which the colonists had carried on with 
Holland and other countries of Europe, and caused 
great dissatisfaction in Virginia. It gave a few English 
merchants control of the trade in tobacco, which was the 
only crop raised in Virginia for export. The profit, 
which had before gone to the planters, now went to these 
merchants. Not only did the price of tobacco go down, 
due to the absence of competition, but the freight 
charges were made higher than they had ever been before. 
Thus very little, if anything, was left for the planter 
after the crop reached England. On the other hand. 
the price of all goods brought into the colony went up ; 
and. as tobacco was used almost entirely in the place of 
money in Virginia, there was much distress. It soon 
happened, too, that much of the tobacco could not be 
sold at all, because more was rasied than could be used 
in England alone. The result of all this was, that the 
people began to feel very bitter against the king and 
Parliament. Many of them went so far as to refuse to 
pay taxes, while the small planters, who suffered most, 
even talked of open rebellion.* This was the effect of 
tlie first of a number of acts, which, more than one 
hundred years later, resulted in the American Revo- 
lution. 

Oppressive Laws Passed by the Burgesses. — During 
tlie next fifteen years, Berkeley's popularity with the 
Virginians diminished rapidly. Through his influence, 
the House of Burgesses passed a law against all Quakers 
; n the colony. Those already in Virginia were to be sent 

In 1667 tlie price of tobacco fell to a ha'penny a pound, and a 
prominent Virginian at that time declared Hint there were but three 
influences tint kept the small landowners from rising in open rebellion, 
namely, "faith in the mercy of God, loyalty to the king, and affection 
for tin- government." 



96 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

away, while any vessel bringing them to the colony, or 
any person entertaining them, was to be fined. Another 
act was to secure the election of a House of Burgesses in 
favor of reducing the liberties of the people. Two 
burgesses were chosen from each of the twenty counties 
and one from Jamestown. Although it had been the 
custom to elect burgesses each year, Berkeley did not 
allow another election to be held for sixteen years fear- 
ing that some of his friends might be put out of office. 
Tn addition to this, those in office were paid extravagant 
salaries, and the people were taxed to pay them. Taxes 
were also levied to provide arms, ammunition and cannon, 
and to build forts for protection against the Indians. 
But the people could see that their money was not al- 
ways used for these purposes, while Berkeley and his 
friends grew rich rapidly. All of these things caused 
discontent, and Berkeley soon came to be regarded as 
a dishonest tyrant. 

Complaint Sent to England. — The Virginians now 
declared that the Burgesses no longer represented them, 
since they made such unjust laws, and called for a new 
election. But Berkeley refused to allow another elec- 
tion. He claimed that new representatives, without ex- 
perience, would not be as valuable as those already in 
office, which was only his excuse for retaining the men 
who were willing to do as he wished. He knew that 
they were not liked by the people and would not he 
re-elected. Complaints were then sent to England 
against the governor, but Charles II. paid no attention to 
them. And so, having left no way in which they might 
recover their rights, the patience of the colonists was 
exhausted. Many who had always been loyal to the king 
now became his enemies and were ready to rebel against 
his government in Virginia. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 97 

The Arlington-Culpeper Grant. — In 1663, Charles 
II. did a thing which, perhaps, caused more dissatis- 
faction and complaint than either the Navigation Laws 
or the tyranny of Berkeley. While in Holland, soon 
after the execution of his father. Charles I., he had 
given to several of his friends the country between the 
Rappahannock and York rivers, known as the Nothern 
Neck, much of winch was already owned by private 
families. This was had enough. Hut now he committed 
an act many time worse ; to two of his favorites, Lords 
Arlington and Culpeper, he gave "all that entire tract, 
territory, and dominion of land and water called Vir- 
ginia, together with the territory of Accomack", for a 
period of thirty-one years. By tin 1 terms of this gift. 
Arlington and Culpeper were to have all rents and es- 
cheats,* could make grants of unoccupied lands, and 
were allowed to manage the affairs of the country as 
they might wish. 

Bitter Feeling Toward the King. — When this act of 
the king became known in Virginia, the people could 
hardly believe it. They arose at once in protest, and 
the House of Burgesses sent envoys to England to de- 
mand a change in the terms of the grant. Although the 
people then in possession of the land were not to be 
disturbed, the fact that the proprietors were in control 
of the territory, and could appoint all public officers, 
was distasteful. The king bad not asked their permission 
in making the gift, nor had he consulted them in any 
way aboul it. Yet he seemed surprised when the en- 
voys arrived, to hear that the colonists would pay any 
attention to what be had done. After listening to their 
complaint, be promised to do what he could to satisfy 

*When a man dies without leaving a will, if ho has no heirs to inherit 
his property, the land that he may have owned goes to the government. 

Such a return of land to the government is Called an "escheat." 



98 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

them, but, before the matter was settled, other troubles 
of greater importance broke out. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Who became king of England in 16(50? What was his first 
act in regard to Virginia? 

2. What were the Navigation Laws? Why did the Virginians 
object to these laws .' 

3. What oppressive acts were passed by the House of Burgesses 
about this time? 

4. What complaint was sent to England? How was it received? 

5. What was the Arlington-Culpeper grant? Why was it unjust.' 

6. How had the Virginians by this time come to regard 
Charles [I.? 



BACON S REBELLION. 



The Situation in 1675. — At this time the envoys who 
had gone to England to protest against the terms of the 
Arlington-Culpeper grant had not returned. They had 
been absent nearly two years without having obtained 
from the king anything more than the promise of a 
new charter for "the confirmation and settlement of all 
things." He had ordered this charter to be prepared; 
but there was so much delay that before it was com- 
pleted a new cause of complaint and discontent arose 
in Virginia. For the first time since 1644. when Opechan- 
canough was captured, the Indians were at war with the 
colonists. Governor Berkeley, when asked for troops 
to help the settlers in driving back the savages, refused 
to call out the militia. Such neglect of their safety, 
added to what the people had already suffered at the 
hands of Berkeley and Charles It., was more than they 
could endure 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 99 

Growth of Virginia from 1624 to 1675. — Before going 
further, we shall see something of the growth of Vir- 
ginia during the years that had passed since it became 
a royal colony. There had been no Indian massacres for 
thirty years. The Indians had been gradually forced 
back, until at this time there were not more than eight 
hundred in the neighborhood of the colony. Four hun- 
dred of these were scattered along the Appomattox and 
Pamunkey rivers, and two hundred lived between the 
York and Potomac. On the other hand, the number 
of colonists had greatly increased. In 1649, there were 
15,000 white people and 300 negro slaves living in Vir- 
ginia, and by 1670, the population had grown to 40.(HM». 
of whom 2,000 were negro slaves. So we see that about 
25.000 people had come to live in Virginia between 1649 
and 1670. Some of these new settlers had taken up 
land on the Eastern Shore, in the counties of Accomac 
and Northampton, while many more built homes over 
all that part of Virginia east of the present site of 
Richmond, and twenty counties had been formed. James- 
town, which was still the capital, was only a small 
village, containing in all, besides the state house and 
church, not more than a dozen houses. The few people 
dwelling there made a living by boarding the burgesses 
and colonial officers while the legislature was in session. 
The largest plantations were to be seen along the rivers 
and on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The frontier, 
the boundary between the settlements and the unex- 
plored regions to the west, extended on a line from 
the present site of Alexandria through Richmond and 
Petersburg.* 

\ pamphlet published in London in in mi gives the following facts 

about Virginia ;it that time: Population, 15,000 whites and 300 negro 

-i.ivrs: mule, about 20,000; horses and mules. 250; sheep and goats, 

There were '-'0 churches, and ;i minister's salary was about 

$500 a year. A man Q! 1 Benjamin Symes had given 200 acres of 

land t'<M a school, this being the onlj school of any kind in the colony. 



100 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Indians Give Trouble. — Early in the summer of 

1675, some Indians living not far from the present- 
site of Fredericksburg, stole some pigs from a settler. 
The thieves were pursued, and one or two of them were 
killed. Not long after this a white man was found 
wounded, who said that lie had been shot by Indians. 
This was the beginning of the Indian troubles that 
brought on Bacon's Rebellion. Colonel John Washing- 
Ion, the great-grandfather of George Washington, led a 
small force against the Indians along the Potomac, but 
was unable to hold them back. Coming from Maryland 
and the north, they began to roam along the frontier 
from the Potomac to the James. In one day in January. 

1676. thirty-six people were murdered in a radius of 
ten miles. 

Berkeley Refuses Aid. — Governor Berkeley was asked 
to send a force of militia to aid Colonel AVashington. hut 
lie replied that nothing' could be done until the regular 
meeting of the House of Burgesses in March. He said 
that the frontier Forts were protection enough. Some 
thought his reply only an excuse, and that his real rea- 
son for not sending troops, was because he was carrying 
on a fur trade with the Indians, which he did not want 
to see broken up. 

The Long Assembly. — Finally the "Long Assembly", 
as Berkeley's House of Burgesses had come to be called, 
met in March, 1676, for the last time. An army of five 
hundred men was raised, but before it could get away 
from Jamestown, the governor ordered that it be dis- 
banded. He still claimed that the forts were sufficient 
to keep the Indians back. Nathaniel Bacon.* a young 
man living at Curl's Wharf, on the James River, on 

See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 101 

hearing of the governor's action, declared, "If the red- 
skins meddle with me, damn my blood, but I'll harry 
them, commission or no commission." 

Indians Attack Bacon's Plantation. — Bacon had an- 
other plantation further up the river, where the Rich- 
mond Locomotive Works now stand. In May, 1676, news 
came to Bacon that the [mans had attacked tins planta- 
tion, and killed the overseer and a servant. Immedi- 
ately Bacon collected a small force of planters and sent 
to Berkeley asking for a commission to fight the Indians. 
Berkeley delayed in granting the commission, where- 
upon Bacon ma re lied against the Indians and defeated 
them. This angered the governor, and he started out 
with a force to arrest Bacon. Learning, however, that 
the people of the York Peninsula were preparing to 
join Bacon, the governor returned to Jamestown, dis- 
solved the "Long Assembly", and ordered a new elec- 
tion, lie hoped that this would satisfy the people and 
prevent further trouble. 

Bacon Apologizes. — Bacon became a candidate from 
Henrico Comity, and was elected to the House of Bur- 
gesses by a large majority. When he went to James- 
town, he was arrested and taken before the governor. 
After some time, he agreed to acknowledge that he had 
done wrong in fighting the Indians without a commis- 
sion, and asked forgiveness. This satisfied Berkeley, 
and Macon was given a seat in the assembly. 

The Work of the New Assembly. — The majority of 
the members of the new assembly were unfriendly to 
Berkeley, and they immediately se1 aboul to undo some 
of the oppressive laws which the "'Long Assembly" had 
made. The following were some of the reforms passed: 
(1) restoring to every man the right to vote; (2) requir- 
ing Vestrymen to be elected by the people, and limiting 



1<>2 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

their term to three years; (3) reducing the sheriff's term 
to one year; (4) forbidding any person to hold two 
offices at the same time; (5) imposing punishment for 
delay of the colony's business and the charging of ex- 
cessive fees; (6) forbidding that councillors should be 
exempt from taxation, and, (7) providing for an army 
of 1,000 men to resist the Indians. 

Bacon Suddenly Disappears. — Suddenly, one morn- 
ing, it was reported that Bacon had disappeared. For 
the time being, business was neglected, and search made 
for him, but'he could not be found. Some feared that 
he had been murdered by his enemies. This, however, 
was a mistake. Bacon had gone to his home at Curl's 
Wharf, where he raised an army of 600 men, and soon 
returned to Jamestown. This was in June. As he ap- 
proached the state house, he was met by the angry 
governor, who. throwing open his shirt-front, exclaimed, 
"Here I am! Shoot me! 'Fore God, a fair mark, a fair 
mark — Shoot!" Bacon replied that he had not come 
to harm the governor, but for a commission to fight the 
Indians, and that he would not leave until he got it. 
The assembly then drew up a letter to the king, tell- 
ing of the troubles of the colony, and also made out 
a commission for Bacon, both of which Berkeley signed 
the next da v. The assembly then adjourned. 



<U T KSTIONS. 

What was the situation in the colony in 1675? 

Tell about the growth (if Virginia from 1624 to 1675. 

What Imli-m outrages were committed in the summer of l<i7"i.' 

Who was ('o]. John Washington? 

Wli-t rea«on did Berkeley give for not sending troops againsl 

the Indians? 

What "as tl," "Long Assembly"? Who was Nathaniel 

Raeon? 

What rl ; d Bacon do when the Indians attacked his plantation? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 103 



7. From what county was Bacon elected to the new assembly? 
What happened when he went to Jamestown? 

8. What reforms were passed by the new assembly? 

9. Where did Bacon go from Jamestown? How was he received 

on his return? 



BERKELEY LEAVES JAMESTOWN. 

Berkeley Goes to Eastern Shore. — The people were on 
Bacon's side. Berkeley, fearing worse trouble and 
being unable to raise an army, declared Bacon a rebel, 
and fled to the Eastern Shore. Sailing up Onancock 
Creek, he fortified himself in the little town by that 
name, in a house which has only recently been torn 
down.* Richard Lawrence, one of Bacon's friends, re- 
ported the news of the governor's flight. "When told 
thai he had been called a rebel by the very man who 
had signed his commission, Bacon felt thai a greal 
wrong had been done both himself and his men. Real- 
izing that something must be done at once, he marched 
with his little army to Middle Plantation, where Wil- 
liamsburg now stands, and there talked the matter over 
with another of his friends. William Drummond. Drum- 
mond, who disliked the governor, suggested that Berkeley 
should be required to give up the governorship. Bu1 
Bacon did not like this plan. Instead, he prepared a 
paper to be sent to the king, demanding that Berkeley 
and all those who had taken sides with him, be arrested 
and kept at Middle Plantation. 

Bacon Calls a Convention. — On Anugust 3, 1676. Ba- 
con called a meeting of the most influential planters in 
Virginia, at Middle Plantation, for the purpose of dis- 
cussing and signing the paper which he had drawn up. 
The discussion lasted all day. All agreed not to aid 

*The "Parker Place," which was dun down in 1906. 



104 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Berkeley, but some were unwilling to join Bacon against 
Berkeley. The dicussion might have continued much 
longer, but for a sudden report that the Indians were 
approaching. Seeing the necessity for prompt action, 
those who had before refused now came forward and 
signed the paper. This was called the "Oath of Middle 
Plantation." Following this, a call was issued in the 
king's name for a new election of burgesses, and the 
planters went to their homes. 

Bacon Defeats the Indians. — Crossing the James 
River with his army, Bacon marched aginst the Indians 
and defeated them near the present site of Petersburg. 
After this, he went from one place to another, captur- 
ing and scattering the savages, until, at the beginning 
of September, every home in the colony was safe. 

Berkeley Returns to Jamestown. — Having defeated 
the Indians, it was now Bacon's purpose to hold out 
against the government until the king should have 
heard his side of the case. Meantime, Berkeley was busy 
raising an army in Accomac, promising to those who 
would fight for him, the plantations and homes of the 
men that were with Bacon. He also sought to win over 
the indentured servants by offering them the estates 
of their masters. Bacon, on hearing this, sent a fleet of 
four vessels to capture Berkeley in Accomac. But, 
through treachery, Colonel Philip Ludwell captured this 
fleet, and Berkeley sailed up the James River with 1,000 
men and took possession of Jamestown. 

Bacon Prepares to Capture Jamestown. — Bacon was 
at this lime at West Point, not quite four months hav- 
ing passed since the attack by the Indians on his plan- 
tation. He now marched toward Jamestown and made 
his headquarters at the comfortable mansion of the 
governor, at Green Spring. Jamestown, as we have 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 105 

seen, was situated on a peninsula, and Berkeley had 
built a breastwork across the neck of the peninsula. 
Bacon built another breastwork parallel to this, and laid 
siege to the town. It is said that he captured the 
wives of some of Berkeley's friends, dressed them in 
white aprons, and then placing them on the breastworks, 
sent word to the governor to fire if he dared. This is the 
one, and only one, ugly thing that is told of Bacon, and 
we might gladly wish that it were not true. 

Jamestown Burned. — Bacon now attacked Jamestown. 
Berkeley was badly defeated, and again fled to Accomac. 
leaving the town in the hands of his enemies. That 
it might no longer "harbour the rogues," as Bacon 
said, he burned Jamestown, and sent a number of the 
governor's friends living there, to prison. He also de- 
stroyed the estates of many of those who had aided 
Berkeley.* 

Death of Bacon. — From Jamestown, Bacon marched 
into Gloucester ( lounty. Bu1 1 he end of the rebellion was 
not far off. In his marches through the swamps and by 
exposure. Bacon had contracted a fever. He was taken 
sick and died a few days later, October 1, 1676. His 
funeral was held secretly to prevent Berkeley from 
getting the body. It is not known exactly where he 
was buried, but it is probable that his body was sunk 
in the York River. 

The End of the Rebellion. — As soon as the news of 
Bacon's death was known, there being no Leader to take 
his place, the rebellion came to a sudden end. having 
lasted in all not more than twenty weeks. Berkeley 
again returned to .lamest own. and there received the 
surrender of many of his opponents. In January, HiTT. 

\1111m2 thr Bufferers at Baron's hands was his kinsman, Nathaniel 
Bacon, thr elder, who Inst nearly $5,000. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



a fleet arrived from England with a regiment of soldiers 
and a commission for investigating the affairs of the 
colony. The commissioners had the power to try rebels, 



but Berkeley had about 




Sl'KAKKR S CHAIR, HOUSE OF 
BURGESSES, 17(H) 

before his wife's ring hat 
the greedy friends of tin 



finished this work. Before 
the end of January more than 
twenty men had been hanged, 
including the more promi- 
nent men on Bacon's side. 
Richard Lawrence escaped 
and was not heard of again. 
But the case of W i i 1 i a m 
Drammond will serve as .an 
example of the cruelty of the 
governor in dealing with these 
men. When Drummond, who 
had been hiding in White 
Oak Swamp, was captured 
and taken before the gov- 
ernor, Berkeley received him 
with a low bow. and ex- 
claimed, "Aha! you are very 
welcome. I would rather see 

any other man in 
Mr. Drummond, 

be hanged in half 
He was hanged 

afternoon, but not 



you than 

Virginia. 

you shall 

an hour! 

that same 

been taken from his hand by 

governor. 

The House of Burgesses Interferes. — In the punish- 
ment of Bacon's followers, there had been no trial by 
jury. The governor condemned to death whom he pleased, 
and no man of his enemies knew but what he would be 
the next to suffer. A new assembly had just been elected. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 107 

and they called upon Berkeley to stop his cruelty. His 
anger and revenge had carried him too far. Nor did the 
commissioners approve of his conduct. They made a fair 
report of the condition of affairs in Virginia, which was 
far from favorable to the governor. Added to this. 
many of those whose friends had been put to death, 
made complaint to Charles II. Even the hard-hearted 
old king was convinced that Berkeley had acted out- 
side the limits of his authority and with more severity 
than the guilt of these men deserved, and ordered the 
removal of the governor. Said the king, "As I live, the 
old fool has put to death more people in that naked 
country than I did here for the murder of my father." 

Berkeley Leaves Virginia. — Berkeley sailed for Eng- 
land, and Sir Herbert Jeffries, one of the commissioners, 
was made governor. The old tyrant's departure was joy- 
fully celebrated by the people with bonfires and firing 
of cannon. He hoped to explain matters to the king 
and be sent back to Virginia, but before he could have 
a talk with Charles IT., he fell sick and died. 

The Chief Causes of Dissatisfaction. — The chief causes 
of dissatisfaction were these: (1) the Indian troubles: 
(2) the bad government of Berkeley; (3) the English 
Navigation Laws. and. (4) the tendency, after the com- 
ing of the Cavaliers in 1649, to do away with representa- 
tive government. 

We have already seen how the people suffered because 
of the first three of these conditions. As to the fourth, 
we have also seen that during the "Long Assembly" 
1 here was no election of burgesses for sixteen years. Now . 
in addition to this, in H>7<), the right to vote was limited 
to those owning a certain amount of property. And there 
was yel another matter that caused much dissatisfaction. 
The counties were divided into parishes, some contain- 



108 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ing only one, others two and some three such parishes. 
Each parish was ruled by twelve men, called a vestry. 
At first the vestrymen were elected by the people. In 
1662, however, a law was passed requiring that when any 
vestryman died, his place should be filled by a man 
appointed by the minister and the other vestrymen. 
Such a vestry was called a "closed vestry." Now, the 
vestry levied taxes, counted tobacco, and controlled the 
record and fixing of land titles, while all the local gov- 
ernment not in the hands of the vestry was in the hands 
of eight justices appointed by the governor. So it is 
seen that nothing was left for the people except to vote 
Cor burgesses, and that they had not been allowed to use 
this right for sixteen years. Thus the control of the 
affairs of the colony had passed almost entirely into 
the hands of a few wealthy and influential men. 

Bacon's Followers.— It is clear, therefore, why many 
of the prominent families in Virginia did nor sympa- 
thize with Bacon. Though a few of the most influential 
men supported him, his cause was, in a large measure, 
a contention of the poor against the rich. There had 
been hard times in the colony for several years, and 
the poorer classes were discouraged by heavy taxation 
in which they had no voice and from which they got 
no return. 



QUESTIONS. 

Why did Berkeley leave Jamestown? Where <li<l he go? 
What did Bacon then do? 

Where was Middle Plantation? What was the "Oath of Mid- 
dle Plantation"? 

Where did Bacon about this time defeat the Indians? 
How did Berkeley manage to capture Jamestown? 
Tell about Bacon's plans to recapture Jamestown? 
Why did Bacon burn Jamestown? 
Tell about the death of Bacon. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 1<»P 



s. Give an account of Berkeley's treatment of Bacon's followers. 
9. How did the House of Burgesses try to stop Berkeley 's cru- 
elty? What did the king say about it.' 

10. How was Berkeley's departure celebrated? Who succeeded 
him as governor? 

11. What were the chief causes of dissatisfaction in the colony 
that led to Bacon's Rebellion? 

]'2. How many years was Berkeley in Virginia? How many years 
governor? Give your impressions of Berkeley. What do you 
think of Bacon? ' 

13. Find on the map: (a) Onancock, (b) Petersburg, ('<•) Glou 
cester County, (71) West Point. 



SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES. 

Virginia Prospers. — After the departure of Sir Wil- 
liam Berkeley, Virginia settled down to a comparatively 
quiet life. The Indians had been so severely punished thai 
during the next seventy-five years they gave the colon- 
ists hut little trouble. The colony grew in population and 
wealth and settlements were pushed westward. But. 
so far as the rights and liberties of the people were con- 
cerned, conditions became worse instead of better. Ba- 
con's followers had shown a spirit which Charles II. 
did not like, and this led him and his successors in 
England to keep a very close watch on the Burgesses. 
All of the unpopular laws that had been passed by the 
"Long Assembly," which Bacon's assembly repealed. 
were put into full force again. Not only did the king 
refuse to issue the liberal charter that he bad promised, 
making the rebellion an excuse, but lie required all new 
laws first to he drawn up by the governor and Council 
and sent to England for approval, before the Burgesses 
might vote on them. 

Selfish Governors. — Very few of the governors ap- 
pointed during this period felt the right sort of interest 
in the colonists, and several of them did not make their 
homes in Virginia at all. sending over in their stead rep- 



110 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

resentatives who were given the title of lieutenant-gov- 
ernor. As a rule, they were selfish and regarded their 
office as a means of getting wealth and wished to have 
the Burgesses pass laws that would advance their inter- 
ests. As a result of this disposition in the governors, 
there were many bitter contests between them and the 
people. These contests, which were the main political 
events of the period, while unpleasant, trained many 
able statesmen, who later came to take a leading part in 
the fight for independence. So that we may call the 
one hundred years from the beginning of Bacon's Re- 
bellion in 1676 to the Declaration of Independence in 
1776. a time of political education, in which the colo- 
nists learned to contend for their just rights as free-born 
Englishmen. 

The Tobacco Rebellion. — As we have said, tobacco was 
the only crop raised in Virginia for export. The Navi- 
gation Laws were still in force compelling the planters 
to ship their tobacco to England. As tobacco was then 
used almost entirely as money in the colony, taxes and 
salaries were paid in tobacco, and merchandise was re- 
ceived in exchange for tobacco. This was a misfortune 
for the planters, for when there was a very large crop, 
the price, or exchange value, went down; and on the 
other hand, if the crop was small, there was much 
suffering, because there would not be enough to buy 
what was needed. In 1680, the House of Burgesses 
passed an act which caused more dissatisfaction than 
before. There were then no towns in Virginia, and this 
act was intended to encourage the building of towns by 
requiring that the planters, instead of shipping direct 
from their own wharves, as had been the custom, should 
bring their tobacco to certain places, one in each count v. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



111 



and there store it for shipping, under penalty of a fine 
of one thousand pounds of tobacco for disobedience. 

This act was not liked for two reasons: in the first 
place, a tax of two shillings per hogshead was levied on 
all tobacco shipped: in the second place, many of the 
planters found it very inconvenient to send their crop 
to these places when they already had wharves of their 



mm y/y >^iM 




T^y^r — & 


H 







SHOWING SETTLEMENTS IN 1702 

own. So it was decided to resist the government. For 
the two years preceding, the crop had been very large 
and a great deal was left over, so that the price fell to 
almost nothing. The people, therefore, asked the Bur- 
gesses to order that no tobacco be planted the next year. 
This was refused. Whereupon the people began so 
desroy young plants, going from one plantation to 
another until ten thousand hogheads had been thus 
destroyed, and in Gloucester County, two hundred plan- 



L12 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

tations had been laid waste. This outbreak, known as 
the "Tobacco Insurrection," was finally put down by 
the militia. Lord Culpeper, the governor, ordered sev- 
eral of the leaders to be hanged, and pardoned the rest, 
one man receiving his pardon, it is said, on condition 
that he build a bridge. 

Changes in England. — In 1685, Charles II. died, and 
his brother, the Duke of York, became King of England 
as James II. James, who ruled but four years, was even 
more cruel and selfish than Charles had been. ana. in 
1688, war broke out, He was driven from the tin-one 
and the crown was given to William and Mary of Orange. 
This change in England resulted for the better in Vir- 
ginia as well as at home. The governors began to show 
less selfishness, took more interest in the affairs of the 
colony and approved such laws as w T ere good for the 
people. Lord Howard, who was made governor alter 
Lord Culpeper, in 1690, decided to make his home in 
England and sent Francis Nicholson to Virginia ;is 
lieutenant-governor. Nicholson, seeing that it would be 
wise to do so, because of the dissatisfaction in the colony 
witli the bad government, adopted a mild policy, and 
conditions soon became much better. He established the 
first post offices in Virginia, a central office being located 
at Williamsburg, and a branch office in each county. 

The Capital Removed to Williamsburg. — Jamestown 
had been rebuilt by Lord Culpeper soon after he came 
to Virginia, but the town was again destroyed by fire. As 
the location was not considered healthful on account of 
malaria, it was not rebuilt a second time, and, in 1699, 
the seat of government was removed to Williamsburg.* 
Nothing now remains of Jamestown lint the ruins of 
the old church tower, a few crumbling foundations, and 
some moss-covered tombstones. 

*Williamsburg continued the capital of Virginia until 1780, when 
the seat of government was removed to Richmond, where it has since 
remained without change. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Alexander Spotswood Arrives. — Tn 1704, the Earl of 
Orkney was appointed governor of Virginia, but, though 
holding office for forty years, he never came to the 
colony. His most prominent representative in Virginia 
was Alexander Spotswood,* who became lieutenant-gov- 
ernor in 1710. 
Spotswood, at this 
time a inan of mid- 
dle age, was active, 
enterprising and 
courteous, and 
received a most 
cordial welcome 
upon his arrival at 
Williamsburg. He 
took a sincere in- 
teresl in the wel- 
fare of tile colony, 
and at once set 
about to develop 
its resources. He 
assisted in raising 
money to rebuild 
William and Mary 
< Jollege, which had 
been b u r n e d in 
170"). and obtained 
for the college one 
thousand pounds sterling from the House of Burgesses. 
His interest in education Led him to establish at Fori 
Christanna, in what is now Southampton County, a 
school for Indians. About 1714, at Germanna, in what 




ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD 



Set- Appendix A. 



114 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

soon became Spottsylvania County, he built the first iron 
furnace in America, bringing over from Europe, to carry 
on the work, several German families. 

The Region West of the Mountains Unexplored. — 
When Spotswood came to Virginia there were about 
75,000 people living in the colony, but the country west 
of the Falls of the James was very thinly settled. This 
region was for the most part an unexplored wilderness, 
only a few of the most hardy pioneers having pushed as 
far as the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, while, as 
far as is known, no white man had crossed tnese moun- 
tains into the Valley of Virginia. 

Spotswood Crosses the Blue Ridge. — Spotswood. who 
was fond of adventure, in 1716, with a party of chosen 
men, started out from Williamsburg to explore the Val- 
ley. They traveled as far as Germanna by coach, and 
from there on horseback along the Rappahannock River. 
In five weeks they had reached Swift Run Gap. Descend- 
ing the mountains on the western side, they crossed the 
Shenandoah River, and took possession of the country 
in the name of King George 1. The party then returned 
to Williamsburg, having been gone in all eight weeks, 
and having traveled four hundred and forty miles. All 
Of the Valley, including the country west of Fredericks- 
burg, was at first made a part of Essex County. Four 
years later, in 1720, Essex County was divided, the west 
ern portion being organized into Spottsylvania County. 
The good report of the country brought back by Spots- 
wood and his men attracted much attention, and in a few 
years settlements were being made in the Valley.* On 
their return to Williamsburg, Spotswood gave to each of 

■Joyst Hite. who came to Virginia from Pennsylvania in 1632. and 
settled near the present site of Winchester, is believed to have been the 
first white man to settle in the Valley. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 115 

his companions a small golden horseshoe to commemorate 
the expedition, and from this incident sprang the order 
of the 'Knights of the Golden Horseshoe." 

Spotswood Removed from the Governorship. — In 
1722. Spotswood was removed from office, from which 
time he made his home at Germanna. He had made a 
good governor, and, in spite of the fact that he could 
not get along smoothly with the House of Burgesses, 
had done much for the colony. Besides taking an active 
interest in education and industrial development, he 
drove the pirates out of the Chesapeake Bay, and sent 
an expedition against the notorious pirate, Blackbeard, 
who. with many of his followers, was killed. Spotswood 
also confirmed in Virginia the right of Habeas Corpus, 
the object of which is to prevent unjust imprisonment. 

Boundary Dispute with North Carolina. — The admin- 
istrations of the next two representatives of the Earl of 
Orkney were without any important event. During the 
administraton of Carter's successor, William Gooch. a 
dispute arose between Virginia and North Carolina as to 
the boundary line between the two colonies, each claim- 
ing a strip of land which neither was willing to give to 
the other. This had caused the people living in the dis- 
puted territory much trouble in the matter of taxes, 
which were frequently paid to one colony when the 
other claimed them. The question was finally settled by 
a board of commissioners representing the two colonies. 
the dividing line being surveyed by William Byrd* 
in 1727. 

Richmond and Petersburg. — In 17.'!.'!. through the in- 
fluence of William Byrd, the towns of Richmond and 
Petersburg were laid out, the sites being selected because 
of their being at the head of navigation on the James 

Se< Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTOBX OF VIRGINIA 



and Appomattox rivers. Richmond, named for the town of 
Richmond in England, was first chartered in 1742. The 

Virginia Gazette, 
1 li e first n e w s - 
naper published in 
Virginia, establish- 
ed in 1736 at Wil- 
liamsburg, contain- 
ed in one of its first 
issues an adver- 
tisement by Byrd 
offering lots for 
sale in Richmond. 
The lots were of- 
fered at a very 
reasonable p r ice, 
provided a house 
of a certain size 
should be built 
within three years 
from the date of 
sale. Neither Rich- 
mond nor Peters- 
burg, h o w ever, 

WILLIAM BYRD g ,. ,, ^ rapidly ., , 

first, Richmond for the next seventy-five years being a 
place of less than ten thousand inhabitants. 




QUESTIONS. 
Tel] about the events following Bacon's Rebellio 
What was the genera] character of the governor! 
period .' 

Give an account of the Tobacco Rebellion. 
What important ehange took place in England in 1689? Hi 
<li'l it benefit Virginia .' 



during thi 



SCHOOL JIISTOHY OF VIRGINIA 



When whs the capita] removed to Williamsburg? 
Tell about Alexander Spotswood. When did he come to Vir- 
ginia. 

What was the extent of the settlements in Virginia in L710? 
Give an account of Spotswood's expedition across the Bine 
Ridge. Who were the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe? 
Where did Spotswood make his home after 1722? Tell what 
lie did for the good of the colony. 

Tell about the boundary dispute between Virginia and North 
Carolina. 

When was Richmond founded? By whom? How did Rich- 
mond and Petersburg get their names? What and when was 
the first newspaper published in Virginia? 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

Claims of European Nations in North America. — As 
we have seen. England was not the only European 
country that had sent colonists to North America. France 
was England's strongest rival, while Spain had planted 
colonies in Florida and in Mexico. But the French had 
settled along the St. Lawrence River, had established 
forts and trading posts in the country north of the Ohio 
River and around the Great Lakes, and had built New Or- 
leans, which gave them control of the Mississippi. The 
English had planted colonies along the Atlantic eoasl 
from Maine to Florida, hut had not made any settlements 
west of the Alleghany Mountains. England, however, 
claimed all of North America because of (1) Cahot 's 
discovery, and (2) her colonics along the Atlantic. 
Prance claimed all of the region wesl of the Alleghany 
Mountains for two reasons, M I because she had explored 
much of that region, and (2) because she controlled the 
outlets of flic Mississippi and St. Lawrence rivers. 

The Advantage of the French Over the English— In 
these claims the French had some advantage over the 
English, though the number of the English colonists was 
greater than of the French. Some of the things that 



US 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



gave the French the advantage were these : In the first 
place, the King of France (Louis XIV) was ready to 
send aid to his people in America, while the English 
government left its colonists to fight their own battles. 
In the second place, their friendship with the Indians 
was an advantage to the French. Though the Indians 
claimed that the country was theirs by right of posses- 
sion, wherever the English had settled, they had driven 




SHOWING SETTLEMENTS IN 1729 

the Indians out. On the other hand, the French, wish- 
ing to hold the country only for trading purposes, lived 
on good terms with the savages, intermarried with them, 
and' in many cases, dressed like them. 

The Long War Between France and England. — France 
and England had been at war almost continuously since 
1689. During the same time there was fighting in 
America between the colonies of the two countries. In 
1697, the French began to build a chain of forts, extend- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 119 

ing from Quebec along the Great Lakes and to the mouth 
of the Mississippi River, to keep the English from the 
Lakes. There were sixty of these forts in all. 

The French Enter Territory Claimed by Virginia. — In 
lh'4!), the French decided to build a new line of forts 
further east and take possession of the Ohio Valley. 
Some of these forts were to be in the territory claimed 
by Virginia, half a million acres of which had been 
granted to the Ohio Company. This company, composed 
of Virginians, intended to plant settlements along the 
Ohio River in what is now West Virginia and south- 
west Pennsylvania. On hearng of the plans of the 
French, Robert Dinwiddie, the lieutenant-governor of 
the colony at this time, determined to send a messenger 
to the French commander to inform him that the country 
along the Ohio belonged to Virginia. For this duty. 
George Washington.* a young Virginian, was selected. 

The Early Life of Washington. — George Washington, 
I lie son of Augustine and Mary Washington, was born 
not far from the Potomac River in Virginia on the 22d 
day of February, 1732. Three .years later his father re- 
moved 1o Stafford County near Fredericksburg. Here 
Augustine Washington died when George was but eleven 
years old. Washington had very poor school advantages. 
I !.• was taught reading and writing by the parish sexton 
in Stafford County, and later he was sent to a school 
taught by a Mr. Williams in Westmoreland 'County, 
where he learned something of mathematics and sur 
veying. 

He is said to have been a leader among his school 
mates both in his studies and in athletics. When there 
was snow on the ground, lie would divide the hoys into 
two companies, build snow In-east works and engage in a 

See Appendix A. 



120 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



regular battle with snowballs, he himself having com- 
mand of one of the companies. When he grew older, 
however, on account of the death of his father, he could 
not be sent to England to complete his education, as had 
his two older brothers, Lawrence and Augustine. Leav- 
ing school at the age of sixteen, he went to visit Lawrence 
Washington at Mount Vernon. Here he met Lord Fair- 
fax, an English gentleman, who had come to Virginia 




VKKXOX. HOME (IK WASHINGTON 



for the purpose of taking up a grant of land west of 
the Blue Ridge Mountains. Taking a strong liking to 
Washington, Lord Fairfax employed him to survey his 
new grant of land. Going across the mountains into 
what is now Frederick County, where he remained for 
three years surveying for Lord Fairfax, his work so 
pleased his employer that Washington was recommended 
by him to be surveyor of Culpeper County. In 1751 
Lawrence Washington was taken sick, and died a year 
later. Shortly after this his little daughter also died, 
and George Washington became heir to the Mount 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 121 

Vernon estate. In 1752, when he was only twenty years 
old, Washington was appointed a major in the Virginia 
militia. 

Washington's Journey. — At this time Washington was 
twenty-one years old. He set out from Wills Creek, 
in Cumberland County, in November, 1753, with seven 
companions. After many difficulties, traveling through 
snow and across rugged mountains and swollen rivers, 
he reached the forks of the Ohio, where Pittsburg now 
stands. He then went on up the Alleghany River to 
Fort Le Boeuf and presented the governor's demand to 
the French commander. This officer replied that he in- 
tended to hold Fort Le Boeuf. and Washington hastened 
hack to Williamsburg to report to Governor Dinwiddie. 

Fort Necessity Captured by the French. — At Wash- 
ington's recommendation, Dinwiddie sent men to the 
forks of the Ohio to build a fort, but they were driven 
away by a party of French and Indians. The French 
then built at the same place a stockade, which they 
named Fori Duquesne in honor of the governor of 
Canada. In the meantime Washington had been sent 
with about seventy-five riflemen to drive the French 
back. But, learning on the way thai the French had 
already secured this position, Washington went on to 
a place called Greal Meadows, aboul forty miles Prom 
Fori Duquesne. There he buill Fort Necessity. The 
French and Indians attacked and captured this fort. 
but Washington and his men were allowed to march 
back to Virginia undisturbed. This was the beginning 
of what is called in America the French and Indian 
War. 

General Braddock and British Regulars Sent From 
England. — The capture of Fort Necessity aroused the 
English government and the Virginia assembly to take 



122 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

prompt action, since it was evident that a strong force 
would be necessary to regain and hold Virginia's terri- 
tory from the French. In 1754, the assembly gave 20,000 
pounds sterling for the war, and, in 1755, the English 
general, Edward Braddock, arrived with one thousand 
British regulars. Tt was planned that Braddock should 
first capture Fort Duquesne, and then push on. driving 
the French back to the Great Lakes. 

Braddock Defeated. — Some time was wasted in pre- 
paring for the march against Fort Duquesne. Finally. 
however, in May, Braddock started from Cumberland, 
in the present state of Maryland, with about 2,200 men, 
] .200 of whom were colonial riflemen. Although Brad- 
dock was a brave man and an experienced soldier, he 
did not understand the mode of fighting among the In- 
dians. He made the mistake of supposing that war could 
be carried on in the forests of America in the same way 
that it was on the open plains of Europe. Washington, 
who served on his staff, and others who understood 
American warfare, warned him that he would have to 
fight the Indians as well as the French, and advised 
him to advance cautiously. But Braddock paid no at- 
tention to this advice. The army marched through the 
woods in column with drums beating, the general confi- 
dent of easy victory. In July, the army crossed the Mo- 
tiongahela River ten miles from Fort Duquesne. Here 
it was suddenly attacked by a force of 300 French and 
600 Indians hidden in the woods. Though outnumbering 
their enemies, .the English, not being allowed to scatter 
and find protection behind trees and rocks, were help- 
less. They were shot down by the score, while they 
could not so much as see the faces of their foes. Brad- 
dock was mortally wounded, nearly half the regulars 
were killed, and what remained of his armv was saved 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 123 

from total destruction only by the coolness and bravery 
of Washington. Taking command of the riflemen, this 
young officer allowed his men to fire from behind trees, 
falling back from one tree to another, and thus held the 
enemy off until the scattered remnant of Braddock's men 
could be gotten together and a successful resistance made 
to pursuit by the Indians. Braddock died on the return 
to Virginia and was buried in the forest. 

Washington Defends the Frontier. — The whole west- 
ern border of Virginia was now without protection. The 
Indians, encouraged by the defeat of the English, began 
to attack the settlements along the frontier, coming even 
as far as Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley. These 
raids were marked by murders and the most cruel sort 
of outrages. Washington was now sent to defend the 
frontier, the House of Burgesses having raised and 
equipped a new force, which was placed under his com- 
mand. He built forts at Winchester and other places 
along the border, in which the settlers could take refuge 
during an attack by the Indians. Thus the struggle 
stood, so far as Virginia was concerned, until 1758, when 
a second expedition was sent against Fort Duquesne. 

Fort Duquesne Captured. — Up to this time, success in 
the struggle that was going on had been for the most 
part with the French. Seeing this, the English decided 
to oppose the French more actively than before. Gen- 
eral John Forbes was sent from England with more 
regulars to aid the colonists. With six thousand men, 
sixteen hundred of whom were Virginians under Wash- 
ington, General Forbes started for Fort Duquesne. This 
time Washington and his Virginians led the advance. 
When lie approached the fort, the French set fire to the 
stockade and fled. On November 25, 1758, Washington 
took possession of the ruins, raised the English flag, and 



124 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

changed the" name to Fort Pitt (Pittsburg), in honor of 
the English statesman who had planned the expedition. 

Peace Between France and England. — Thus the 
French were driven out of the Ohio Valley and the worst 
of the Indian raids along the border were at an end, 
though the more exposed settlements were in danger for 
some time. The following year the war was brought to 
a close by the capture of Quebec. .By the Treaty 
of Paris, in 1763, peace was finally made between France 
and England. By the terms of this treaty, France gave 
to England all of Canada and all of her other territory 
east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans. 

The Thirteen Colonies. — At the close of the French 
and Indian War, there were thirteen English colonies* 
m the country originally called Virginia, that is. along 
the Atlantic coast from Florida to the St. Lawrence 
River. All were alike subject to England, and each had 
a local government similar to that of Virginia, but there 
was no central government The need of some kind of 
central government, or union, was first felt during the 
war against the French and Indians, when each colony 
was compelled to protect its own frontier, and many 
prominent men now began to think that a union would 
be a good thing. The total population of the colonies 
was more than two million, and a valuable trade had 
grown up with the countries of Europe. Negro slaves 
and indentured servants were to be found in all the 
colonies. 

*The thirteen colonies were: New Hampshire, Massachusetts. Connecti- 
cut. Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, 
Delaware, Virginia. North Carolina South Carolina, and Georgia. ' Next 
to Virginia, New York was the oldest, and Georgia, established in 173'_', 
was the youngest. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What part of North America did England claim at this time? 
On what did England base her claims? What did Prance 

claim ? 

2. What gave the French the advantage over the English ? 

3. How did the French prepare to defend their claims.' 

4. When did the French begin to enter territory claimed by Vir- 
ginia? Where did they propose to make settlements.' 

5. Hive an account of the early life of George Washington, 
(i. Describe Washington's journey to Fort Le Boeuf. 

7. Tell about the capture of Fort Necessity. 
s. Who was General Braddock? 

9. (iive an account of Braddock 's defeat. What part did Wash- 
ington play on this occasion? 

10. Tell about Washington 's defence of the frontier. 

11. Describe the capture of Fort Duquesne. Find Pittsburgh on 
the map. Trace Washington 's march to Fort Duquesne. 

12. When did the French and Indian war end.' What were the 
terms of the Treaty of Paris? 

13. How many colonies were there in 1663? What were they? 



THE PEOPLE OP THE COLONY. 

Kinds of People. — In the Virginia colony there were, 
<>!' course, two races of people, the whites and the negroes. 
The negroes, as we have seen, were brought as slaves 
from Africa. The whites came chiefly from four coun 
tries in Europe: England, France, Germany and [reland. 
Of the white people there were five classes: (1) the 
planters, (2) the farmers, (3) the indentured servants. 
(4 the "redemptioners," and (5) the tradesmen and 
artisans. The planter was usually a wealthy English- 
man, or his descendant, owning a Large plantation. 
although some of the French were also wealthy planta- 
tion owners. The farmer was the Englishman. German, 
Frenchman* or Scotch-Irishman who had either come to 

*The French were mostly Huguenots who left France after the Edicl 
of Nantes had been revoked in L685. The largest number of them 
came in 1700 and settled in Henrico County. They were of the best 
French citizenship, and many of their descendants can be distinguished 
by their names. Among these names are Maury. Moneure, Fontaine. 
Flournoy, Marye, Perrow (Perreaux), Dabney ( !>' Aubigne) and Boudoin 
I Baudouin ) . 



126 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Virginia with enough money, or had saved enough money 
after coming, to buy a small piece of land for a farm. 
The indentured servants and the "redemptioners" were 
almost all English and were servants of the plantation 
owners, but there was this difference between them : the 
indentured servants were chiefly convicts sent from Eng- 
lish jails to Virginia, while the "redemptioners" were 
poor people who were willing to act as servants for 
several years, usually less than four years, in order to 
pay for their passage from England to Virginia and 
their board and lodging. Not all of the indentured ser- 
vants were "jail birds," however. Some of them were 
bad criminals, but others were those who had committed 
Aery slight crimes, for which the English law provided 
heavy penalties, and some were kidnapped in London 
by those who were paid to get servants to be brought 
to Virginia. The bad criminals, for the most part, were 
a shiftless set and became known as "poor white trash." 
Those who reformed and those who had not been guilty 
of serious crimes became good citizens. Some of them 
even became planters, some farmers, and some artisans 
;iiid merchants. The fifth class was composed of mer- 
chants and artisans, the artisans being carpenters, 
weavers, blacksmiths, coopers, tailors, tanners, and shoe- 
makers. 

Eastern and Western Virginia. — By about 1750, when 
Virginia as far west as the Alleghanies had become 
settled, there could be seen another division of the people 
into eastern and western Virginians. The eastern Vir- 
ginians lived on the plantations and in the few villages 
and towns on the rivers east of Richmond: the western 
Virginians lived west of Richmond along the .James 
River, in the valley between the Blue Ridge and the 
Alleghanies. and even across the Alleghanies in what is 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 127 

now West Virginia. In the east were the rich planta- 
tion owners, the white indentured servants, a few farm- 
ers, and artisans and merchants. They were chiefly 
English and a few French. In the west were most of the 
small farmers, who were German, Scotch-Irish and Eng- 
lish. They were so different in their life, in their ways 
of making a living and in their ideas, that soon a very 
hitter antagonism grew np and caused a long controversy 
between them over public schools, taxes, the right to 
vote and other matters, which ended, in 1863, in the 
separation of the extreme western part of the state to 
become a new state, West Virginia. 

Towns In Colonial Virginia. — There were very few 
towns. Williamsburg, its capital, was the chief town dur- 
ing the days of the Virginia colony, but in 1750 it had 
only 200 houses, mostly wooden, and its streets were 
not paved. Richmond was not founded until 1733. Nor- 
folk was founded in 1682, and grew more rapidly than 
any of the other towns because it was the chief port, 
having a population of 6,000 in 1776. Alexandria was 
also an important port. Lynchburg was nothing but 
Lynch 's Ferry in 1700. The county seats were hardly 
villages and usually consisted of the courthouse, the 
county jail, the tavern or county inn, and a store. Fin- 
castle was the largest county seat in the upper end of the 
Valley, while Fredericksburg, the home of Mary Wash- 
ington, the mother of George Washington, was quite a 
huge village. But towns were so few and so small in 
Virginia that when Thomas Jefferson, at the age of seven- 
teen, entered William and Mary College at Williams- 
burg in 1760, he had never before seen as many ;is 
twenty houses together. 

Trade and Business. — The chief reason why there 
were so few and so small towns was that there was so 



128 



SCHOOL BISTORT OF VIRGINIA 



little business done. This was because the people did not 
need many stores and because there was so little cash 
money. On the plantation was raised and made nearly 
everything that the people needed. Each plantation had 
its own blacksmith, its own cooper, carpenter, weavers, 
tailor and shoemaker. The fine articles of clothing and 
furniture and even of food and liquor, used by the plan- 
tation owner, which could not be made at home, were 
brought from England in ships and unloaded at Nor- 




WESTOVER, HOME OF WILLIAM BYRD 

folk, Jamestown or Williamsburg, and thence taken in 
sloops and shallops to the- plantations. Nearly all the 
larger plantations were situated on the rivers, and each 
had its own wharf. Tobacco and other plantation prod- 
ucts were shipped back to England. What money there 
was was English money, but tobacco was used in carry- 
ing on business instead of silver coins. Even the salaries 
of ministers were paid in tobacco, and articles bought 
and sold were valued in pounds of tobacco. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 129 

The Plantation. — The plantation of which we have 
heard so ranch in studying the history of the Virginia 
colony, was a great farm of a thousand or more acres. 
Sometimes it contained as many as six or seven thousand 
acres. Except for large fields cleared for tobacco plant- 
ing, orchard, garden and dwellings, it was in original 
forest. Its center was the planter's residence or mansion, 
called the Great House or Home House, usually situated 
so as to command a pretty view. The Great House was 
built of brick or wood and contained from six to twenty 
rooms. The earliest mansions were broader than they 
were long and had a great chimney at each end, with a 
large hall through the center. Later they were built 
with long porches, like Mt. Vernon. Washington's home. 
Still later great white pillars, copied after the Greek 
style, were used on the porches. The plan and the shape 
of the houses varied. The kitchen was usually a small 
building separate from the mansion, although in later 
colonial days the dining room and kitchen were in the 
basement of the mansion. Near the Great House were 
the cabins for the negro slaves and white servants. The 
negro cabins were roughly built of logs or planks and 
consisted of usually one room. The cabins for the white 
servants were larger, better built and better kept. Then 
there were the outhouses — the large barns for storing 
tobacco and corn, the stables for the planter's fine hunt- 
ing horses and his work horses, the cattle pen, hen coops. 
dairy, and sometimes a country store or grist mill. A 
garden and an orchard nearby supplied vegetables and 
fruits. Next to the Greal House itself would be the 
flower garden in which the mistress of the mansion took 
persona] interest. Stretching in Eronl of the Greal House, 
often toward a river, was a large lawn shaded by magnifi- 
cent 1 Tees. 



130 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



The Virginia Cavalier and Lady. — In the Great House 
lived "the Virginia cavalier and his lady," like a king 
and queen of their own domain. They bought furniture 

a n d fittings for 
their home from 
old England and 
wore clothes made 
in London or of 
English cloth made 
by an English 
tailor in Virginia. 
The white servants 
and s I a v e s wore 
homespun cloth, 
woven by the plan 
tation weavers and 
made into clothes 
by the plantation 
tailor, and their 
shoes were of hides 
t a n n e d on the 
plantati on and 
were made by the 
plantation shoe- 
maker. The mis- 
tress, or lady, of 
of the house, kitchen 
and garden, and had her own saddle horse and carriage. 
She was kind to the slaves, nursing them when they were 
ill. leaching them to read and to behave properly, and 
seeing that they were fed and clothed. The planter 
had overseers for the slaves, but he looked after his 
crops and supervised the plantation. IT Q loved to hunt 
foxes and would join in with his neighbors and kin»- 




EVELYN BYRD 

the mansion had complete charge 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 131 

men in great hunts. He was fond of his wines, which 
he imported from Spain and France, and of his peach 
brandy and apple-jack, which were made at home. Some- 
limes, it is true, he was too fond of his amusements and 
indulged too much in his liquors and in gambling, cock 
fighting and horse racing, but he was always careful of 
his honor and that of the ladies and his friends. He was 
ready to fight a duel at any lime when his honor was 
slighted or questioned. Any stranger was welcomed to 
the Great House, and there was little need for hotels. 
The planter never took pay from a guest. He was ready 
to help a friend in any honorable way or join in w tli 
his kin or his friend againsl an enemy. 

The planter and his wife were descended from English 
aristocrats, in many cases their ancestors being titled 
and of the nobility, and they had a pride in their family. 
their name, and their position. The descendants of the 
colonial planters became the aristocrats of the new nation 
after The Revolutionary War. Nowhere could be found 
such high ideals of personal and family honor, such 
bounteous hospitality, and such case of life as among the 
planters of Eastern Virginia. 

Western Virginians. — Another section of the colony. 
however, was destined to take a more important part in 
the later history of Virginia than the tidewater section. 
This was the country which lay west of Richmond and 
the Blue Ridge Mountains. As we have seen, the bold 
Spotswood, as he looked toward the west, could not he 
satisfied until he had seen what was beyond the blue 
mountains. We know that he led his "Knights of the 
Golden Horse Shoe" across the Blue Ridge into the 
beautiful valley, then nothing hut a vast forest. Rut 
twenty years later there flocked into the Valley of Vir- 
ginia large numbers of sturdy, independent people whose 



L32 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

descendants, as we shall see, had much to do with the 
shaping of the history of Virginia as a state. 

Where They Came From. — These people came from 
three parts of the world. A few were dissatisfied Eng- 
lish freemen from Eastern Virginia who had grown 
tired of heing lorded over by the rich planters. By far 
the larger number were German and Scotch-Irish settlers 
who had lived for a time in southern Pennsylvania. The 
Germans came in swarms, as it were, building their 
cabins in settlements so purely German that the German 
language is still spoken among them to a certain extent. 
They were a hard working, honest people, who were soon 
satisfied with their surroundings and got easily accus- 
tomed to the new life in the wild country. 

The Scotch-Irish came even in greater numbers. Their 
ancestors were the Scots whom James I. of England had 
sent to that part of Ireland called Ulster, because they 
were Presbyterians and because he wanted more Protes- 
tants in that part of Ireland than Catholics. They and 
the Irish of Ulster intermarried, and their descendants 
were thus called Scotch-Irish. So industrious were they 
in Ulster that their factories made better linen and 
woolens there than were manufactured in other parts of 
Ireland, and the Irish became very jealous of them be- 
cause people would buy the Scotch-Irish goods instead of 
theirs. Then the English government began treating 
badly all who were not Episcopalians. Thus persecuted 
on all sides, they made up their minds to come to America. 
Thousands of them came first to Pennsylvania, and then 
drifted south into the Shenandoah Valley where they 
finally settled. The Scotch-Irish descendants may be 
known by their names even to-day. Here are some exam- 
ples : Preckenridge, Lewis, Campbell, Preston. Alexan- 
der. Pickens. Stuart. McDonald. .Johnston, and Robert- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 133 

son. Among the Scotch-Irish who have become famous 
in American history are Richard Montgomery, Anthony 
Wayne. Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Andrew 
Jackson. Thomas Benton, John Caldwell Calhoun. 
Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. 

Their Character.— Living out in the wild new country 
where they had to cut down trees with which to build 
their log cabins and to clear the ground for their crops, 
and having no servants and rarely any slaves to wait 
upon them, these western Virginians gradually became 
more and more different from the rich plantation owners 
in eastern Virginia. In the newer country beyond the 
mountains, people were more nearly equal. They were 
more religious than the planters ; but they were more free 
and democratic. They had less time for amusements 
such as delighted the Eastern Virginian, and instead of 
London-made < lothes they wore homespun. Their farms 
\v< re smaller, and when large tracts of land were owned, 
they were used for cattle grazing instead of raising 
tobacco. They had to work with their hands, and were 
more serious-minded and industrious. 

It is not strange, therefore, that they had very differ- 
ent ideas about government from those of the Eastern 
planters, and that their leaders, among whom were 
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, later urged that 
every person, regardless of wealth or poverty, should 
have equal rights and equal opportunity. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tell something about the kinds of people in Virginia a1 this 
time. 

2. What was the difference between the people in eastern and 
western Virginia? 

3. What can you tell about towns in colonial Virginia? 

4. Describe plantation life. 

5. Iluw did the Virginia gentlemen Live? 

<i. Where ili<l the people in western Virginia come from ? 
7. Tell something of their character. 



134 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

EDUCATION IN THE COLONY. 

Kinds of Schools. — The Virginia colonists did not take 
much interest in hooks. As we have seen, the richer class 
of them were more fond of living well than of spending 
their time in becoming educated. There was no news- 
paper in Virginia until 17o6, and the people had very 
little to read except old newspapers and books that were 
brought over from England. The poorer people had 
very little chance for a long time to get any education. 
That aristocratic old gentleman, Governor Berkeley, 
when he was asked about the schools the colonists had, 
replied: "I thank God there are no free schools nor 
printing, and I hope we shall not have these hundred 
years: for learning has brought disobedience and heresy 
and sects into the world, and printing has divulged them, 
and libels against the best government. God keep us 
from both." 

There were not only free schools in the Virginia 
colony, however, but there were several other ways of 
getting an education. These schools were not like the 
ones which we attend, and there were not nearly so many 
of them. There were four kinds of elementary education 
in old Virginia.: (1) home teaching: (2) parochial 
schools: ('■">> free schools: and (4) "old field'' schools. 
Home teaching was done in the richer families by hired 
tutors brought from England, or. in some cases, by in- 
dentured servants who were often better educated than 
their masters. Many slaves were also taught to read 
and write by their mistresses at home, and on many 
of the plantations they were taught the Scriptures and 
hymns. The parochial schools were schools for the chil- 
dren of the white people who were too poor to pay to 
have the children taught. They were maintained by 
the congregation of each church, or parish. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 135 

Free Schools.- The "free" schools were very few in 
number, and were different from what we call public 
schools, in that they were not paid for by the government 
as our public schools are. but by some private person. 
The first free or public school of this kind that was ever 
started in America was established by Benjamin Symes 
in Elizabeth City County in the year 1634. He gave "two 
hundred acres of land on Poquoson River, with the milk 
and increase of eight cows, for the maintenance of a 
learned honest man to keep upon the said ground a tree 
school." Other free schools of this kind were Captain 
Moon's School (1655), Thomas Eaton's (1659). Richard 
Russell's (1667). Mr. King's (1669), and Edward Mose- 
ley's (1721). 

Academies. — There were higher schools for the colo- 
nial children to attend after they learned what was 
taught in these elementary schools. These higher schools 
were called academies, and toward the end of the 
eighteenth century several of them were started up. At 
Fredericksburg there was a very good one, to which came 
Ihe children of the merchants of that old town and of 
the planters who lived along the Rappahannock. The 
Norfolk Academy was one of the oldest in the colony. 
and was a thriving school. In Accomac County, on the 
Eastern Shore, was the famous Margaret Academy. 

Beyond Richmond the Presbyterians started two 
academics for boys and one for girls. The firs! one was 
stalled in Augusta County in 174!' as the Augusta 

Academy. Later on it was ved to Timber Ridge, and 

afterwards to Lexington, when its name was changed to 
Liberty Hall Academy. To this school George Washing- 
ton afterwards gave his shares of stock in the James 
River Company, which the General Assembly had 
awarded to him for his services in the Revolutionary 



136 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



War, and its name was changed to the Washington 
Academy. After that it became Washington College, 
of which General Robert E. Lee became president after 
the Civil War, and it is now known as the Washington 
and Lee University. In the same town of Lexington the 
Presbyterians also established a school for girls, known 
as the Ann Smith Academy. In Prince Edward County 
the Presbyterians started a boys' school under the name 



' ill w ^ t1m > 



WILLIAM A\I> MAKY COLLEGE, WILLIAMSBURG 

of the Prince Edward Academy in 1776, which in the 
following year was changed to Hampden-Sidney, and is 
now Hampden-Sidney College. 

William and Mary College. — The only college in Vir- 
ginia in colonial times was William and Mary College. 
About 1622, as we have seen, plans had been drawn for 
a university at Henrico City, but the Indian massacre 
of that year prevented its establishment. Nothing more 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 137 

was done until a Scotch parson by the name of James 
Blair, during the time of Lieutenant-Governor Nichol- 
son, determined that Virginia should have a college. 
He went around through the colony and persuaded the 
people to give two thousand five hundred pounds in 
English money to start the college, and then went over 
to England to get a charter, or a permission, from the 
king and queen. He had a hard time getting the char- 
ier, but finally succeeded and came back to Virginia. 
The college was started in 1693 at Williamsburg, and 
was called William and Mary College in honor of the 
English sovereigns. When Andros was governor of Vir- 
ginia lie tried to do everything that he could to dis- 
courage it. but Mr. Blair was as bold as he was persever- 
ing, and the college prospered. The first commencement 
exercises took place in 1700, and people from Maryland. 
Pennsylvania, and New York, as well as from all over 
Virginia, came to the great occasion. Before 1712 the 
college had only three professors — they were called "mas- 
ters," after the English way — a master of grammar, a 
master of writing, the president, who was Mr. Blair, and 
an usher. In 1712 a professor of mathematics was added 
to the faculty, and by 1729 there were six professors. 
If there had been more academies in which students 
could be prepared, there would have been more students 
at the college, but as it was its enrollment was never very 
large. Ye1 the college had a very great influence. It 
educated such men as Thomas Jefferson. James Monroe, 
John Tyler, and John Marshall, and from its halls went 
young men who afterwards became governors of states, 
senators and representatives, and presidents of the 
United States. 



L38 school HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What were the different kinds of schools in Virginia at this 

t : me ? 
i\ Tell something about the free schools. 
.">. Name some of the first academies established. 
4. (iive an account of the beginning of William and Mary 

College. 
."). When was it founded? By whom? Who were some of the 

prominent Virginians educated there? 



EVENTS LEADING TO THE REVOLUTION. 

The Cost of the War.— The French and Indian War 
had cost a great deal. The colonies alone had made a 
debt of fifteen million dollars and had furnished as 
many men as England. It was now decided to keep a 
guard of ten thousand soldiers along the frontier, which 
would cost more than a million dollars a year. England 
said that the colonies should pay not only their own debt 
of fifteen million dollars, but that they should also help 
to pay her debt, besides bearing one-third the cost of 
keeping the frontier guard. The money for this pur- 
pose was to be raised in three ways: (1) by enforcing 
the old Navigation Laws; (2) by a special tax on sugar 
and molasses, and (3) by a new tax, called the stamp 
tax. 

George III. Favors Taxation.— The plan of taxing the 
colonies was favored by George III., who had been made 
king in 1760, being at that time only twenty-two years 
old. He argued that the colonies were only trading 
communities made up of English subjects, who ought to 
be taxed without being represented in Parliament. Wil- 
liam Pitt, the elder, who held the office of secretary of 
state in England, said that Parliament had no right to 
tax them so long as they were not allowed to send repre- 
sentatives to Parliament. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 139 

Why the Colonists Objected to Paying These Taxes. — 

The colonists opposed such taxation, not because they 
were unwilling to share the cost of the war, nor because 
they objected so much paying out the money, hut for 
the reason that England did not have the right to levy 
such taxes. And so we shall see that it was this very ques- 
tion of "taxation without representation" that was to 
result before very long in the revolt against England 
known as the American Revolution. 

The Parsons' Case. -The king of England had always 
claimed the right to veto the laws made by the House 
of Burgesses whenever these laws did not please him. 
But in England the laws of Parliament were never 
vetoed. Now, after a while the colonists began to ques- 
tion the claim of the king to the right to veto colonial 
laws: for they believed that the acts of the House of 
Burgesses should be as much respected for the control 
of local affairs in Virginia, as were the acts of Parlia- 
ment in English matters. The question was first brought 
to a test in Virginia in what is called the "Parsons' 
Case." This was in 1763. We have seen that tobacco 
was in colonial times used almost entirely in the place 
of money in Virginia, and how, when the tobacco crop 
was small, the price went up. A law had been passed 
requiring that clergymen should be paid in tobacco. 
This was when tobacco was worth twopence a pound. 
But. in 176:1. the crop being small, the price of tobacco 
went up to sixpence a pound. Therefore, in order to 
make it easier for the people to pay their debts. Hie 
House of Burgesses passed an ad that all debts agreed 

lo he paid in tobacco could he paid in money at the rate 
of twopence for one pound of tobacco. The clergymen 
complained to the king, and George III. vetoed the law. 
A clergyman, named James Maury, then brought suit 



140 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

in the court of Hanover County to obtain what was due 
him on his salary. Patrick Henry,* a young Hanover 
County lawyer, took the side of the people. He made an 
eloquent speech before the jury, in which he argued that 
the law was a good one, and that a king who vetoed 
such laws as were best for the people was little better 
than a tyrant and could not expect to be obeyed. Henry 
won the case. The jury gave Maury the very least that 
the law at that time allowed, which was one penny. 
The verdict was received with much joy by the people, 
who appreciated the young lawyer's services in defend- 
ing them. 

The Stamp Act, — In addition to the Navigation Laws 
and the Sugar Act, first passed in 1732, for taxing sugar, 
coffee, indigo, and wine. Parliament in 1765 passed an- 
other tax law, called the Stamp Act, for taxing all deeds, 
wills, marriage licenses, and other legal documents. This 
was more oppression than the people could longer en- 
dure, and they at once took steps to have the taxes 
removed. 

The Stamp Act Before the House of Burgesses.— The 
House of Burgesses promptly met to discuss the Stamp 
Act. Patrick Henry had been elected a member from 
his native county. The members were divided in their 
opinion as to what should be done about this act, and it 
seemed that a majority would be in favor of allowing it 
to be enforced. Fearing this, and being strongly in 
favor of resistance, Henry hurriedly wrote out on the 
blank leaf of an old law book a series of resolutions, 
which he read before the Burgesses (May 29, 1765). He 
then made a strong speech that set the members to 
thinking very seriously. He declared that the House 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 141 

of Burgesses alone had the right to tax Virginians, and 
that for Parliament to tax them was tyranny, and closed 
his speech with these words: "Caesar had his Brutus: 




PATRICK HEXKY BEFORE TILE HO 



Charles I., his Cromwell; and George III. . . . 
At this point many of the members arose and exclaimed : 
''Treason! Treason!," but Henry continued: "George 



142 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

III. may profit by their example. If this be treason, 
make the most of it." The resolutions were adopted by 
a majority of twenty-six to twenty. 

The Stamp Act Repealed. — The news of what had been 
done by the Virginia Burgesses spread rapidly. Similar 
resolutions were soon passed in the other colonies, and 
the opposition to the Stamp Act became so strong that, 
the people absolutely refusing to use the stamps, the 
act was, in 1766, repealed by Parliament. This action 
was taken only after a long and hot debate lasting three 
months. William Pitt spoke in favor of the colonies. 
"I rejoice," said lie. "thai America has resisted." At 
the same time, however. Parliament declared that it had 
the right to make laws for the colonies. 

The Townshend Acts. — The rejoicing caused in Vir- 
ginia by the news that the Stamp Act had been repealed, 
did not last long. In 1767, about one year later, a new 
set <>i' acts, called the Townshend Acts, was passed by 
Parliament for taxing the colonies. These acts laid a 
tax on sugar, wine, oil, glass, tea, paper, and certain 
paints. Following this. Parliament passed resolutions 
asking the king to have brought to England for trial 
all persons accused of treason in the colonies. 

The Virginia Resolves. — The Virginians again arose in 
opposition. In 1769, the House of Burgesses passed four 
Resolves in reply to Parliament, declaring that the House 
of Burgesses had, and had always had, the sole right 
of imposing taxes on the colonists. As to the trial of 
accused persons, they appealed to the king to leave them 
to be tried in the courts of the colony. 

Lord Botetourt Dissolves the Burgesses. — At this 
point. Lord Botetourt, the governor, as the king's repre- 
sentative in Virginia, felt it his duty to dissolve the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Burgesses. This being done, the members left the capitol 
and met in a room at the Raleigh Tavern in Williams- 
burg. Here they signed an agreement not to use any 
of the articles upon which Parliament had laid a tax. 
Thus Virginia, for the second time, took the lead in 
actively opposing taxation. Copies of the agreement 
were sent throughout the 
other colonies, and they, too. 
agreed not to use taxed goods. 
The Townshend Acts Re- 
pealed. — England saw that 
there would again lie serious 
I rouble if the Townshend Acts 
were enforced, and so. in 
1 770, they also were repealed. 
;ill exeepl the tax on tea. This 

tax was left to show, so the 

king said, that Parliament 
had the right to levy taxes 

OLD POWDER HORN. . , 

[i i i vis) i kg m tne colonies. 

Serious Trouble in the Other Colonies. — Up to this 
time there had been no bloodshed or other very serious 
trouble in Virginia, bu1 in some of the other colonies 
matters had come to a xwy critical point. In 1770, two 
regiments that had been sent to Boston to enforce the 
Townshend Acts were attacked by some workmen with 
stones and snowballs. Several of the soldiers fired 
into the crowd, killing five and wounding many others. 
This occurrence, known as the "BostOD Massacre." led 
to tin' removal of the soldiers from the city. A second 
and more serious case happened in North Carolina in 
1771. The men in the western part of that colony had 
organized a company of "Regulators" to resist certain 
nn.jnsi taxes imposed by Tyron. the royal governor. 




144 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Tyron gathered a small army from the counties in the 
eastern section and marched against the Regulators. In 
a battle fought at Alamance, the Regulators were defeated 
and two hundred of their men were killed, while six of 
the leaders were captured and hanged. A third case oc- 
curred in Rhode Island, where, in 1772, the people 
burned an armed English revenue vessel, the Gaspee. 

Committees of Correspondence. — The colonies soon 
saw that to resist these tax laws successfully, they must 
work together. Therefore, for the purpose of securing 
united action, committees, called "Committees of Cor- 
respondence," were appointed in the different colonies, 
it was their duty to distribute copies of important reso- 
lutions, report to each other any new trouble, and to 
exchange opinions as to the best way of having the 
laws repealed. Virginia had appointed such a committee 
in 1773. 

Efforts to Force the Colonists to Buy Tea. — In spite 
of the fact that the colonists had said. that they would 
not buy any articles on which there was a tax, the Eng- 
lish merchants continued to send their goods to America 
to be sold. They tried to force the people to buy, for 
some of them depended almost entirely on the colonists 
for trade. In 1773, the king, hoping to induce the 
buying of tea, reduced the price by taking off the tax 
of one shilling on each pound sent out of England. A 
tariff of threepence was left, but he thought that the 
colonists would be willing to pay this. 

So the East India Company of London sent over to the 
different ports a number of ships loaded with tea. They 
soon found, however, that the king had been mistaken. 
The people of Philadelphia sent the tea back in the 
same ship that brought it. At New York the tea was 
not allowed to be brought into the harbor. At Annap- 



SCHOOL niSTOEY OF VIRGINIA 145 

olis the vessel carrying the tea was burned. At Charles- 
ton it was stored in damp cellars and allowed to rot. 
Three of these ships came to Boston. There a party of 
citizens, dressed like Mohawk Indians, went aboard the 
ships, broke open the boxes and threw the tea into the 
water. This was called the "Boston Tea Party." Such 
defiance made the king' very angry, and the next year, 
1774, more oppressive acts were passed. 

The First Continental Congress. — Virginia was again 
the first of the colonies to act. In May, 1774, the House 
of Burgesses invited the other colonics to join in sending 
delegates 1o a continental congress to meet at Phila- 
delphia September 1. All of the colonies sent delegates 
•xcept Georgia, whose governor prevented the election 
of delegates. In all, fifty-five delegates met in Car- 
penter's Hall, Philadelphia.* Peyton Randolph, of Vir- 
ginia, was chosen president. Among the other delegates 
from Virginia were Patrick Henry and George Wash- 
ington. 

Henry already believed that the colonies would have 
to fight, but few of the others present as yet felt that it 
would be necessary to lake up arms against England. 
The proceedings were quid and all complaints were 
carefully discussed. Washington was admired for his 
good judgment in these matters. The result of the 
meeting was the adoption of a Declaration of Rights and 
Articles of Association. These articles were to be sent 
out among the colonists to be signed by them indi- 
vidually, each signer agreeing not to buy or use English 
goods after December 1, 1774. 

The delegates from Viminiii were Patrick Henry, George Washington, 
R. H. Lee, Peyton Randolph, Richard Bland and Benjamin Harrison. 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

In what three ways did the English government propose to 

raise money to pay the cost of the French and Indian War. 

What reason did George III. give for taxing the colonies? 

Why did the colonies object to being taxed by Parliament? 

What was the Parsons' Case? 

What was the Stamp Act? 

Who spoke against this act in the House of Burgesses? 

When was the Stamp Act repealed? 

What were the Townshend Acts? 

What were the Virginia Resolves? 

Why did Lord Botetourt dissolve the Burgesses? 

Why were the Townshend Acts repealed? Why was the tax 

on tea not repealed? 

How had these acts been received in the other colonies? 

What were the Committees of Correspondence? 

How did King George IT I. try t<. force the colonists to 

buy tea? 

Tell about the First Colonial Congress. When and where 

did it meet? 



DUNMORE S WAR. 

Trouble with the Indians in the West.— Lord Dun- 
more had succeeded Lord Botetourt as governor of Vir- 
ginia in 1772. He not only took sides with England in 
the question of taxation, doing all in his power to pre- 
vent the appointment of the Committee of Correspond- 
ence, but he behaved in other ways in a manner showing 
that he did not have the interests of the colony at heart. 
While the Colonial Congress was in session at Phila- 
delphia. Virginia had to turn her attention to the In- 
dians in the west, who were beginning to drive the set- 
tlers out of her territory south of the Ohio River in what 
are now the states of West Virginia and Kentucky. It 
is said that Lord Dunmore, through his representative. 
Dr. Conolly, led the settlers to believe that war had been 
declared against the Indians, and thus was responsible 
for the beginning of the war. Hence the struggle that 
followed was called Dunmore 's War. Acting upon the 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 147 

impression gotten from Conolly,. the settlers attacked 
and killed some friendly Shawnees, and later murdered 
the family of a friendly chief named Logan. This angered 
the savages, who united under a famous chief named 
Cornstalk and began to massacre the settlers in the Ohio 
Valley. 




s church, Richmond 
Battle of Point Pleasant. — Dunmore now collected an 
army to drive back the Indians. General Andrew Lewis* 
in command of eleven hundred Virginians, set out for 
Point Pleasant, situated near where the Kanawha River 
empties into the Ohio. As he was about to cross the 
Ohio he was attacked by a force of aboul eleven hun- 
dred savages under Cornstalk, October 10. 1774. The 
battle that followed was one of the severesl struggles 
with the Indians during the colonial period, and lasted 
from sunrise to sunset. The Virginians were at hist 
victorious Being completely defeated, the Indians at 
oner made peace, agreeing not to hunt again south of 



148 SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIFGINIA 

the Ohio. This left the river open to settlers going into 
Kentucky and Tennessee. Dnnmore had promised to 
join Lewis, bnt instead of doing this he went on to 
Shawneetown, eighty miles from Point Pleasant. 

The Second Virginia Convention. — No sooner had 
peace been made with the Indians, than Virginia again 
gave her attention to the contest with England. On March 
20, 1775, the Second Virginia Convention met in 
St. John's Church, Richmond. In this convention 
Patrick Henry offered a motion that the militia of the 
colony should he armed and preparation made for de- 
fense, for English ships had already appeared in the 
Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere carrying English soldiers. 
. In his speech before the convention. Henry referred to 
these war vessels, and declared: "We must fight! I 
repeat it. sir. we must fight! An appeal to arms and the 
God of Hosts is all that is left us!" His resolutions were 
adopted, and troops immediately began to assemble in 
Virginia. The other colonists soon after this began to 
make similar preparations for war. 

Dunmore Driven Out of Williamsburg. — Governor 
Dnnmore, in April, 1775, had some powder removed from 
the magazine in Williamsburg to a vessel in James River. 
Having heard that the governor intended to remove the 
powder, Patrick Henry had raised a small force in Han- 
over County and started for Williamsburg, intending 
to prevent Dnnmore 's getting possession of the powder. 
When Henry and his men arrived, Dnnmore, after pay- 
ing for the powder, declared them traitors and threatened 
to burn the town. Hearing of this threat, the people in 
and around Williamsburg were aroused and armed them- 
selves to aid the Hanover men, whereupon Dunmore 
Med to a man-of-war lying off Yorktown. He notified 
the Burgesses that he considered it necessary for himself 
and family to leave Williamsburg. In reply .he was 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VlliGTNIA 14! 

assured that necessary steps would be taken for \wy 
safety if lie would return. But he felt safer on the -war 
ship, and offered to attend to his duties as governoi 
there. The Burgess- 
es, however, had no 
further communi- 
cations with him, 
and thus r oval 
government in Vir- 
ginia c ■&. m e to a 
final end. 

Committee of 
Safety Appoint- 
ed. — Virginia be- 
ing now without a 
governor, a conven- 
tion was called to 
meet in Richmond 
to fill the vacancy. 
Instead of electing 
a governor, this 
c o n v enti n ap- 
pointed a Commit- 
tee of Safety* 

made up of the most aide men in the colony. This com- 
mittee was given entire authority in the management of 
the affairs of the colony. 

Dunmore's Last Days in Virginia. — Dunmore was 
very angry at being forced to give up his office, and 
decided to make war on the Virginians. With several 
ships and two companies of regular troops he sailed for 
Norfolk and there made his headquarters. By offering 
rewards to the lower class of white men and by promis- 

Th< ni' minis .,t this committee were Edmund Pendleton, George 

Mason, John Page, Richard Bland, Thomas Ludwell Lee, Panl Carring- 

ton. Dudley Diggs, William Cabell, John Tabb, James Mercer, ami 
Carter Braxton. 




150 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ing freedom to slaves, he increased his force and began 
to do much damage along the shores of the Chesapeake 
Bay. In December, 1776, Dunmore was defeated by 
Colonel "William Woodford at Great Bridge, in Norfolk 
County, and driven back to his ships. About a month 
later he attacked and burned Norfolk. Following this 
he plundered the plantations along the rivers in eastern 
Virginia, finally fortifying himself at Gwynn's Island, 
in Mathews County. Here he was attacked by General 
Andrew Lewis and driven entirely out of Virginia. Go- 
ing h'rsl to New York, he returned to England, never 
to return to America. 

Fighting in Massachusetts. — While the Virginians 
were having trouble with Dunmore. there had been fight- 
ing elsewhere. General Gage, in command of the Brit- 
ish troops around Boston, on April 18, 1775. had ordered 
a small force to go to Concord and destroy some military 
stores which had been gathered there by the Americans. 
When they reached Lexington, a small town outside of 
Boston, they were met by a body of Massachusetts mili- 
tia, and a 'fight followed. Going on to Concord, Gage's 
men were again opposed by the militia. These two 
skirmishes marked the first real conflict between British 
and American troops. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Wlm was Lord Dunmore? Why did he take sides with 
England? Why is the war with the western Indians called 
Dunmore 's War? 

2. (Jive an account of the battle of Point Pleasant. Who com- 
manded the Virginians? 

3. When and where did the Second Virginia Convention meet 7 
What motion did Patrick Henry make? 

i. Tell about Dunmore and the powder at Williamsburg. When 
diil royal government in Virginia end? 

5. What was the Committee of Safety. 7 

6. Give some account of Dunmore 's last days in Virginia. 

7. What was the first .conflict between British and American 
soldiers.' In what colony? 

B. Kind on the map: (a) Williamsburg, (b) Norfolk, (c) York- 
town, (d) Hanover County, (e) Mathews County. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA AND THE REVOLUTION 

1776-1781. 



GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

ruler in England: Patrick Henrv (1776-1779). 

King George ITT. (1760-1820). Thomas Jefferson (1779-1781). 

Thomas Nelson (1781). 

VIRGINIA LEADS THE REVOLT. 

Two Political Parties. — The attempt by King George 
III. ami the English Parliament to tax the colonies led 
to the organization of two political parties in America. 
Those who admitted the right of Parliament to impose 
taxes on the colonists and who were willing to remain 
loyal to the king were called Tories, while those who 
were unwilling to be ruled and taxed by Parliament and 
who opposed any interference by the king in the affairs 
of the colonies were known as Patriots. The latter held 
that only the colonial assemblies had a right to levy 
taxes and say how the colonists should be governed. In 
Virginia there were nearly four times as many Patriots 
as Tories, and this fact accounts for the active part 
taken by this colony in opposing English oppression. 

Fighting in the North. — The" skirmishes at Lexing- 
ton and Concord, in April. 177."). were soon followed by 
the capture by the Americans of two forts in northern 
New York, of which the British had taken possession, 
and later by the battle of Bunker Hill. A British force 
under General Gage had for some time held Boston, and 
three other generals, Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne, were 
ordered to reinforce Gage. The people of New England 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA L53 

were anxious to drive the enemy out of Boston before 
more troops should arrive, and an army, under Colonel 
Prescott, gathered and occupied one of the hills just out- 
side the city. On the morning of June 17, 1775, General 
Gage sent twenty-five hundred men to dislodge the 
Americans, and a fierce fight ensued. The British were 
twice driven back in their attack on Prescott 's fortifica- 
tions, but succeeded in the third charge because the 
powder of the Americans had given out. After a brave 
resistance, in which they fought with stones and the 
butts of their muskets when there was no more ammuni- 
tion, Prescott 's men were forced to withdraw. But this 
battle greatly encouraged the colonists, for it showed 
that, under ordinary circumstances, they could hope to 
liglit successfully against the trained soldiers from Eng- 
land. 

Second Continental Congress.— On May 10, 1775. the 
Second Continental Congress me1 in Philadelphia to de- 
cide what action the colonics should take to bring about 
more satisfactory relations with England. Delegates 
were present from all the thirteen colonies. The behavior 
of Lord Dunmoro in Virginia and the presence of English 
soldiers at Boston and other places for the purpose of 
enforcing the unpopular ads of Parliament made it 
necessary that some action should be taken without 
further delay. Many of the delegates were in favor of 
sending another petition to the king in the hope of 
bringing about a peaceable settlement of the trouble: 
but the majority believed that the time had come when 
the colonies could recover their rights only by force of 
arms. After much discussion of the matter, the war 
party prevailed, and George Washington, of Virginia, 
was chosen commander-in-chief of all the American 
forces. 



154 SCHOOL ETSTOUT OF 1'IEGINIA 

Why Washington Was Chosen. — There were two 
reasons for conferring this honor upon "Washington : 
first, because he was the only man in the colonies with 
sufficient military experience to give the people con- 
fidence in his ability as a commander, and, second, 
oecause the northern colonies were anxious to secure the 
hearty co-operation of Virginia and the other southern 
colonies. Virginia being the oldest, most populous and 
most influential of all, it was realized that her example 
and leadership would be followed by the smaller and 
weaker colonies, and it was believed that the choice of 
Washington, who had the confidence and respect of all 
Virginians, would insure fhe active support of the Old 
Dominion. 

Washington Takes Charge. — Now that war had been 
declared, Washington was ordered to take charge of the 
army around Boston, and Congress took steps to raise 
and equip additional troops. Each colony was asked to 
furnish volunteers, Virginia's quota being estimated at 
fifteen battalions. The Virginians responded promptly; 
in every county companies were formed. Most of these 
marched to join Washington, while a few remained to 
defend their homes and property against Lord Dunmore 
and such English troops as might be sent to Virginia. 
Prom the first, Virginia entered heartily into the 
struggle. 

The Colonies Unprepared. — Of the twenty thousand 
men composing the American army when Washington 
assumed command, sixteen thousand were from New 
England, for hitherto the middle and southern colonies 
had not felt called upon to defend any but their own 
interests. Now, however, volunteers began to report 
from all the colonies, offering their services in the com- 
mon struggle for the recovery of their just rights as 
English subjects. At this early period the colonists were 




<g^^£>^b 




156 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

not fighting for separation from England, but for a 
recognition of the privileges to which they believed they 
were entitled as Englishmen. They were not prepared 
for a long contest. The men who joined Washington's 
army, having come chiefly from the farms, stores and 
shops, not only lacked discipline and a proper knowledge 
of military life, but were without the necessary arms 
and other equipment. The commander-in-chief was quick 
to see the necessity of remedying these conditions, and, in 
the face of many difficulties, he devoted himself to drill- 
ing, arming and obtaining supplies for his troops. 

Virginia Favors Independence. — Virginia had always 
been prompt to resent oppression or the undue exercise 
of authority on the part of the royal governors. On two 
occasions, as we have seen, the tyrannical behavior of 
these governors had caused serious trouble, first in 1635. 
when Sir John Harvey, for overbearing and dishonest 
conduct, was deposed and sent back to England, and 
again in 1676. when many of the people took up arms 
under Nathaniel Bacon in open rebellion against the 
oppressive and high-handed acts of Sir William Berke- 
ley. And now Virginia was the first of the colonies to 
take action in favor of complete independence. On 
May 15. 1776, in a convention composed of delegates 
from all the counties, assembled at Williamsburg, a reso- 
lution was adopted instructing the Virginia members of 
Congress to propose to that body that the United Colonies 
should be declared free and independent States. 

The Bill of Rights.— On the same day that it voted for 
independence, the convention appointed a committee to 
prepare a declaration of rights and a plan of govern- 
ment for the colony. A prominent member of this com- 
mittee was George Mason,* and to his pen we owe both 
the Virginia Bill of Rightsf and the first State Con- 

*See Appendix A. 
(■See Appendix I). 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA L57 

stitution. As the author of these important documents, 
the name of George Mason will always occupy a high 
place in Virginia history. The Bill of Rights, adopted 
June 12, 1776. sets forth in clear terms the 
American theory of government, declaring, among other 
things, that all men are entitled to equal political rights, 
the enjoyment of life and liberty, the means of acquiring 
and possessing property and the means of obtaining 




PATRICK HENRY'S LAW OFFICE IN CHARLOTTE COUXTY 

happiness and safety; that the government, being de- 
rived from the people, should he administered for the 
benefit of all and for the maintenance of their rights; 
thai every man should have the right to worship in 
matters of religion according to his own conscience, and 
thai there should he freedom of the press in the dis- 
cussion of all public questions. 

A Constitution Adopted. — From 1619, when the firsl 
House of Burgesses met ;it Jamestown, to 177."), when 
Lord Dunmore, the lasl of the royal governors, was 
driven out of the colony, the only change affecting the 
government of Virginia was in 1624, when the power 



158 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



of appointing the governor and members of the Council 
passed from the London Company to the king. In 1775, 
as we have seen, a provisional government was set up, the 
management of the affairs of the colony being placed in 
the hands of the Committee of Safety. It was because the 
convention realized the need of a new permanent govern- 
ment that the com- 
mittee appointed to 
prepare a declaration 
of rights was also in- 
structed to draft a 
plan of government, 
This plan of govern- 
ment, called a consti- 
tution, was adopted 
by the convention on 
June 29. 1776. and 
went into effect at 
once. Patrick Henry 
being appointed the 
first governor. The 
constitution, which 
declared Virginia to 
be a free and inde- 
pendent c o m m o n - 
wealth, provided for a legislature consisting of two 
branches, a Senate and a House of Delegates, the former 
taking the place of the old Council and the latter that 
of the House of Burgesses. The members of both were 
to he elected by the people, while they in turn were to 
choose the governor and his advisers. 

The Declaration of Independence.— Acting upon the 
instructions from the Virginia convention, recommend- 
ing thai all the colonies be declared independent States. 




CKCRi.K MA.SOX 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA l.->!» 

Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia member, made a motion 
in Congress, "that these United Colonies are, and of 
righl ought to be, free and independent States, thai they 
are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown. 
and that all political connection between them and the 
state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dis- 
solved." The motion was passed on July 2, and a 
committee was appointed to draft a Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. Thomas Jefferson,* another Virginia member 
of Congress, was made chairman of this committee, and 
to liiin was assigned the duty of writing the declaration. 
Jefferson immediately set to work on the document, 
which, after a few small changes had been made, was 
adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776. Thus the colonies 
declared themselves forever free and independent of 
Great Britain. 

The news of the adoption of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was received with greal rejoicing throughout 
the colonies. Bells were rung and bonfires were kindled 
in celebration of the important event, and the people 
made a general holiday of the occasion. Up to this 
time the colonists had thought very little about inde- 
pendence, the war having been waged only for the pur- 
pose of obtaining a recognition of their rights in matters 
of taxation and government. Now, however, they became 
enthusiastic over the idea of complete separation from 
England, and from tie 1 adoption of the declaration 
fought to five themselves from all foreign control. 

The State Seal.— After the constitution had been ap- 
proved, the Virginia convention next took up the matter 
of providing a state seal. A number of designs were 
suggested and discussed, but finally that proposed by 
George Wythe was selected. It shows a female figure 

* See Appendix A. 



Kio SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

resting with one hand on a spear and holding in the 
other a sword, representing Virtue, and trampling under 
foot the prostrate figure of a man, representing Tyranny, 
near him being seen a broken chain and a scourge, while 
from his head has fallen a crown. Over the head of 
Virtue is the word "Virginia," and underneath the 
figure the motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis."* 




MONTICELLO, HOME OP THOMAS JEFFERSON 

Inheritance of Property.— In 1776, Jefferson retired 
Prom Congress and became a member of the new Vir- 
ginia legislature. Ever since 1(51!). when the House 
of Burgesses petitioned the London Company that every 
man might be allowed to own the land which he culti- 
vated, it had been the custom in Virginia for a man's 
property at his death to go to his eldest son. This 
custom, known as the Law of Primogeniture, had been 

Moaning "Thus always with Tyrants." See front of cover. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 161 

introduced from England when the right to own land 
was first granted the colonists. Jefferson, who was a 
thorough believer in democracy, wished to abolish this 
law in Virginia because it not only deprived the other 
children of a share in their father's property, but had 
a tendency to create a class of aristocratic landowners 
by handing down from one generation to another large 
landed estates. He introduced a bill in the legislature 
providing that a man's property at his death should be 
divided equally among his children, thus doing away 
witli the old law. Jefferson's bill was strongly opposed 
by Edmund Pendleton, but Jefferson was successful, 
for the legislature voted to repeal the Law of Primo- 
geniture. 

Virginia's Leadership. — A brief review of Virginia's 
share thus far in the struggle against English oppres- 
sion and in the interest of independence and free institu- 
tions shows a record of which every Virginian may justly 
be proud. It is seen that Virginia took the lead: (1) in 
condemning the Stamp Act; (2) in appointing a Com- 
mittee of Correspondence; (-'5) in advocating a Continen- 
tal ( 'ongress ; (4) in adopting a Bill of Rights; (5) in 
proposing the Declaration of Independence, and (6) in 
adopting ;i Stat.- Constitution establishing an independ- 
ent state government. The Virginia Legislature had 
passed laws granting to the people of the colony re- 
ligions freedom and abolishing the primogeniture system 
of inheritance. George Washington, a Virginian, had 
been appointed commander-in-chief of the colonial forces, 
while another Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, had written 
the Declaration of Independence. 



162 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What two political parties existed in the colonies? 
1. Tell about the battle of Bunker Hill? 

:!. When and where did the Second Colonial Congress meet .' 
For what purpose? What did Congress do? 

4. Why was Washington chosen to be commander-in-chief? 

5. Where did Washington take charge? 

(i. For what were the colonists at first fighting? How were they 

unprepared for war? 
7. Tell about Virginia 's action in favor of independence. 
s. What was the Bill of Rights? Who wrote it? 
9. Tell about the adoption of the first state constitution in 

Virginia. What kind of government was provided for? Who 

was chosen the first governor? 

10. Give an account of the adoption of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. Who wrote it? 

11. Tell about the adoption of a state seal. Describe it. 

A 'l. What was the Law of Primogeniture? When was it done 

away w ith in Virginia? 
13. Give an account of Virginia's part in the struggle with 

England up to this point. 



THE AVAR OF THE REVOLUTION. 



IN THE MIDDLE COLONIES, 1776-1779. 

Military Operations. — The principal military opera- 
tions of the first five years of the Revolution, from the 
time that Congress formally voted in favor of war. 
until 1781. the final year of the struggle, were carried on 
outside of Virginia. Early in the spring of 1676, having 
devoted several months to organizing, drilling, disci- 
plining ami equipping the troops under his command, 
Washington was prepared to begin active operations. 
and in March he attacked and drove the British out of 
Boston. General Howe, the commander-in-chief of the 
British troops in America, sailed from Boston to Hali- 
fax, and there made ready an expedition to capture New 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 16o 

York. There being no immediate danger of further 
trouble in New England, Washington moved the main 
army to Long Island in order that he might defend the 
approaches of the Hudson River. During the next five 
years the operations against the British were carried on: 
(11 in the middle colonies, (2) on the western frontier, 
and (3 i in the colonies south of Virginia. 

Operations in the Middle Colonies. — Washington's 
arrival at New York marked the beginning of the strug- 
gle in the middle colonies. General Howe bad planned 
a two-fold invasion of New York, hoping, by getting 
possession of the Hudson River, to cut off all communica- 
tion between New England and the rest of the country. 
General Carleton was ordered to advance from Canada, 
while Howe himself sailed from Halifax to capture New 
York city. The army under Carleton accomplished 
nothing, but in a series of attacks on the Americans in 
the neighborhood of Hi" lower Hudson, Howe forced 
Washington to withdraw his troops through New Jersey 
into Pennsylvania. The retreat of the Americans, which 
was brought about largely through the disobedience of one 
of Washington's generals, left the city of New York in 
the possession of the British. Howe then prepared to ad- 
vance againsl Philadelphia. The greater pari of New 
Jersey was overrun without serious opposition, and many 
people began to fear that the whole country would soon 
fall into the hands of the British. The Virginia legis- 
lature met to discuss the situation, and a measure was 
offered proposing that all civil and military authority 
in the colony be placed in the hands of one man as dic- 
tator. This measure, however, which stirred np much 
bitter feeling between its advocates and opponents, being 
deemed both unwise and unnecessary, was later with- 
drawn. 



J 64 SCHOOL HISTOBT OF VIRGINIA 

Two Brilliant Victories. — In the midst of the pre- 
vailing feeling of gloom and discouragement, Washing- 
ton did not lose hope. He only awaited a favorable 
opportunity to strike the enemy, and on Christmas night. 
1776, braving the cold and huge masses of floating ice 
that almost blocked the river, he crossed the Delaware 
with more than two thousand men. marched nine miles in 
a driving snowstorm, and surprised and defeated the 
British at Trenton, capturing more than a thousand 
prisoners. Later, on January 3, he attacked a force 
under Cornwallis at Princeton, winning another decisive 
victory, after which he took possession of the heights of 
Morristown. From this position the Americans were 
able to keep the British from crossing New Jersey to take 
Philadelphia, and for the next five months they remained 
quietly in New York. 

These two brilliant victories not only restored con- 
fidence in Washington's leadership and hope in the cause 
of independence, but proved to the world that the Ameri- 
cans were commanded by one of the greatest generals of 
ancient or modern time. They attracted the attention of 
the French and other Europeans, and from this time 
France began to consider an alliance with the colonies 
against England. 

Surrender of Burgoyne. — In the spring of 1777. the 
British again undertook to cut off the New England 
colonies by invading New York. Three expeditions, two 
from Canada and one by way of the Hudson, were 
planned. General Howe, with eighteen thousand men. 
proposed to advance north to meet General Burgoyne, 
with nine thousand, and Colonel St. Leger, with two 
thousand men. who were to proceed south from Canada. 
Burgoyne and St. Leger were opposed by the Americans 
under Generals Benedict Arnold, Philip Schuyler and 



SCHOOL IIIS'LORY OF VIRGINIA 165 

Horatio Gates, while Washington with the main army 
remained in New Jersey to look after Howe. Arnold 
managed to drive St. Leger back to Lake Ontario, after 
which he moved to join Schuyler against Burgoyne. 
Capturing Ticonderoga and defeating the Americans at 
Hubbardton, Burgoyne pushed on toward Fort Edward, 
near the head of the Hudson River, but Schuyler's army 
and the Vermont militia offered such stubborn resistance 
that his progress was very slow. 

In the meantime, Howe, believing that he could cap- 
ture Philadelphia and at the same time sufficiently rein- 
force Burgoyne, had sailed up the Chesapeake Bay and 
was leading eighteen thousand men northward. At 
Brandywine Creek he was met by Washington, who so 
delayed his advance that he was two weeks in covering 
the remaining twenty-six miles to Philadelphia. 

Later Howe found it necessary to get more troops 
from New York, and this made it impossible for him to 
send assistance to Burgoyne. Aided by Colonel Daniel 
Morgan and his Virginia riflemen. Arnold and Gates, 
the latter having succeeded Schuyler, continued to harass 
Biirgoyne's advances. At last, finding the situation hope- 
less. Burgoyne retired to Saratoga, and there, on October 
17th. surrendered his entire array of six thousand men 
to the Americans. 

The Effect of Burgoyne 's Surrender. — The surrender 
of Burgoyne may be considered the turning point of the 
war. The English government was now willing to make 
peace with the colonies, offering to yield everything for 
which they had contended except independence. Hut 
when France saw that there was a possibility of peace 
between England and America, she decided to recognize 
the independence of the colonies, and sent a fleet to aid 
in the war. Early in 1778. an agreement was entered 



\m SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

into between France and the colonies by which the latter 
promised to accept no terms of peace until England 
should be willing to acknowledge the complete inde- 
pendence of the United States. From this time to the 
end of the Revolution the French took an active part in 
the war. 

Final Operations in the Middle Colonies. — The winter 
of 1777-1778 was spent by Washington's army in camp 
at Valley Forge. Here the men, being insufficiently 
supplied with food, blankets and clothing, suffered in- 
tensely from hunger and cold. Such rude shacks as they 
could build afforded but scanty protection, while many 
were without shoes. During the winter some dissatisfied 
officers and scheming politicians made a conspiracy to 
have Washington removed from command of the army, 
hoping to have Gates put in his place. An investigation 
of the plot, however, revealed the motives of the men 
behind it, with the result that the people came to have 
even greater confidence in Washington than before. 

While at Valley Forge the army had been thoroughly 
drilled by Baron von Steuben, an experienced Prussian 
office)-, who had come over to offer his services to the 
colonists. In the spring Sir Henry Clinton succeeded 
Howe in command of the British at Philadelphia, and 
when he heard of the approach of a French fleet he 
decided to withdraw his army to New York. Washing- 
ton followed Clinton, hoping, with the assistance of the 
French ships, to capture New York, but some of the 
ships were unable to get within range of the fortifica- 
tions, and the undertaking had to be abandoned. Except 
for a few skirmishes, there was no more fighting in the 
middle colonies. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 167 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Where were the principal military operations of the lirst five 
years of the Revolution carried on I 

2. Tell of Washington's attempt to defend New York. Why did 
the British want to get control of New York? 

3. Give an account of the Wattles of Trenton and Princeton. 

4. Give the events leading to the surrender of Burgoyne. 

5. What was the effect of Burgoyne 's surrender? 

(5. Tell about the final operations m the middle colonies. 
7. What part did Virginians take in the fighting in the middle 
colonics .' 



IN THE WEST AND SOUTH, 1778-1780. 

Operations on the Frontier.— The country north of 
the Ohio River, usually known as the Northwest Terri- 
tory, which had been settled by the French, was at this 
time occupied by the British, England having come into 
possession of it as a result of the French and Indian War. 
Virginia claimed it, however, under the terms of the 
charter of 1609. In 1778, Colonel Hamilton, the British 
commander in the west, who had his headquarters at 
Detroit, tried to stir up the Indians against the Ameri- 
cans on the frontier. George Rogers Clark,* a young 
Virginian then living in the present state of Kentucky, 
conceived the idea of driving the British out of the 
Northwest Territory and reclaiming it for Virginia. 
And so, journeying hack to Virginia, he laid his plans 
before Patrick Henry, who was a1 that time governor, 
with the request that he might be permitted to raise a 
force with which to carry out the undertaking. Henry 
approved of the daring scheme, and Clark was com- 
missioned colonel, with authority to enlist seven com- 
panies. 

With 200 men ( 'lark set out in June, 1778. He captured 
three important British forts. Kaskaskia and Cahokia, 

*See Appendix A. 



168 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

which were near the present site of St. Louis, and Vin- 
cennes. The daring expedition was made under many 
difficulties, and it was not until February 25 that Vin- 
eennes was taken. 

Credit Due Virginia. — The capture of Vincennes, be- 
sides ridding the colonies of further annoyance from the 
British and Indians in the west, gave to Virginia control 
over all of the Northwest Territory, out of which have 
since been carved five great states. This important con- 
quest was undertaken and accomplished by Virginia 
alone. Congress furnishing neither men nor money for 
the expedition. But for Clark's bold and determined 
leadership and the troops and supplies provided by Vir- 
ginia, this territory would probably have continued in 
the possession of England after the close of the Revo- 
lution. 

Operations in the South. — The defeat and capture of 
Burgoyne's army and the stubborn resistance offered by 
Washington in New Jersey, led the British to give up 
the attempt to conquer the colonies by cutting off New 
England from the rest of the country. They decided 
instead to shift operations to the far south. In 1779. an 
expedition Mas sent against Savannah, the idea being to 
subdue one southern colony after another. Georgia was 
soon overrun, and in the spring of 1780 Sir Henry 
Clinton captured Charleston, almost all of the Ameri- 
can troops there being made prisoners. Among these 
were many Virginians, the Virginia regiments having 
been sent by Washington to aid in the defense of the 
southern colonies. Lord Cornwallis. who succeeded 
Clinton after the capture of Charleston, had little 
difficulty in subduing South Carolina. As he advanced 
into North Carolina, he was opposed by an American 
a rni v under General Gates, but in the battle of Cam- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 169 

den, CornwaJlis inflicted upon Gates one of the worst 
defeats suffered by the colonists during the Revolution. 

A Gloomy Period. — The summer following the battle 
of Camden was the gloomiest period of the entire war. 
The inability of Congress to get enough money with 
which to pay, feed and clothe the soldiers made it almost 
impossible to keep an army in the field, while added 
to this was the discouragement caused by the disastrous 
campaign in Georgia and the Carolinas. Having no 
power to tax the colonies and not being able to borrow 
much money from foreign countries, Congress had no 
means of raising money except by asking the colonies to 
give it. "Washington and a few other officers were serv- 
ing without pay. and it was only through the example 
and influence of such men as these that an army could 
be kept together. Another hard blow to the cause of 
independence during this period was the treason of 
Benedict Arnold, the brillianl and able general who had 
rendered such valuable service against St. Leger and 
Burgoyne in New York. Probably because he thought 
that Congress had not shown sufficient appreciation of 
his services, Arnold, after attempting to surrender the 
toilless at West Point, left the American army and 
joined the British. 

The Outlook Brightens. — It was not long, however. 
before the outlook began to improve. In October. 1780, 
in the battle of King's Mountain, a force of more than a 
thousand British was overwhelmingly defeated. A new 
American army was now raised in the south and put in 
charge of General Nathaniel Greene, an officer second in 
ability only to Washington. Serving with Greene were 
three Virginia officers of unusual ability. Daniel Morgan, 
John Washington and Henry Lee. the last, familiarly 
known as "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. being the father of 



170 SCHOOL HISTORY OF IIEGIN1A 

General Robert E. Lee. In 1781 . at the battle of the Cow- 
pens, Morgan nearly destroyed a British force under 
Tarleton, taking six hundred prisoners and killing more 
than two hundred of the enemy, while his own loss was 
only twelve killed and sixty wounded. Following this, 
Greene not only kept Cornwallis at bay in North Caro- 
lina, "hut managed to rid all of South Carolina except the 
cilv of Charleston of British control. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Who was George Rogers Clark? Why did Virginia claim the 
country north of the Ohio River .' 

2. Tell about Clark's expedition and the result. 

3. Why should Virginia be given the credit for the conquest? 

4. Describe the new plan of the British for conquering the 
colonies. 

5. Give some account of the first operations in the south. 

6. What was the gloomiest period of the war? Why? 

7. Tell of the American successes in North and South Carolina. 

8. What Virginia generals were prominent in- these campaigns? 



IX VIRGINIA. 1780-1781. 

Operations in Virginia.— After the defeat of the 
British at Great Bridge and the burning of Norfolk by 
Lord Dunmore early in 1776, there was no lighting of 
mini! consequence in Virginia until 1780, though an 
expedition sent by Clinton in 1770 had done great dam- 
age to shipping along the coast and had destroyed more 
than a hundred small merchant ships. In 1780, the 
British began to concentrate their efforts on Virginia, 
and from this time to the close of the war the counties 
north of Richmond and between Richmond and Nor- 
folk were the scene of much maneuvering and fight- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 171 

ing. Early in 1780, a British force captured Portsmouth, 
burned Suffolk and destroyed a quantity of military 
stores at Norfolk and Gosport. The Virginia regulars 
having been sent to the aid of Greene in the Carolinas, 
and most of the militia having been disbanded, Washing- 
ton sent General Muhlenburg to take charge of the de- 
fense of the colony. Muhlenburg, with the assistance of 
General Nelson,* collected a sufficient force to drive the 
Rritish out of Portsmouth. 

Arnold Invades Virginia. — In January. 1781, Bene- 
dict Arnold, then an officer in the British army, lauded 
in Virginia and started up the James River to capture 
Richmond. Jefferson, who was at that time governor. 
decided to abandon Richmond; the arms and ammunition 
stored there were removed a short distance from the city. 
and the legislature was adjourned to Charlottesville. 
Meeting with no opposition, Arnold continued his ad- 
vance on the capital, and on January 5 entered and 
took possession of the city. After several days spent in 
plundering and pillaging, having done about all the 
damage possible, the British left Richmond and set out 
down the river, destroying and burning at will as they 
went. General Steuben, who had been sent to organize 
and drill the militia, succeeding Muhlenburg in com 
maud, marched rapidly to intercept Arnold, but the 
latter kept well out of his wav and continued on in- the 
direction of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Arnold Reinforced.— General Phillips about this time 
arrived at Portsmouth with two thousand men. and join- 
ing forces with Arnold, repulsed Steuben and the mili- 
tia and proceeded to Petersburg, where much tobacco 
and a number of small vessels were destroyed. Prom 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Petersburg Phillips and Arnold marched by way of 
Chesterfield Court House, intending to enter Rich- 
mond again. But in the meantime, General Lafayette, 
wlin had been ordered by Washington to the defense 
of Virginia, had taken command at Richmond with 

twelve hundred regu- 
lars besides the mili- 
tia under Steuben. 
Lafayette was a 
young French noble- 
man who had offered 
Ins services to the 
colonies in the strug- 
gle for independence, 
and was not only re- 
garded by Washing- 
ton as one of his best 
officers, but his skill 
as a commander had 
become known to the 
British. When Phil- 
lips and Arnold dis- 
covered the young 
Frenchman in charge 
of Richmond they decided that it would be better to 
change their plans. Leaving Manchester, they proceeded 
down James River, probably with the intention of re- 
turning to New York. They had gotten little further 
than Bermuda Hundred, however, when Phillips re- 
ceived a message from Cornwallis that the latter was 
marching with his army from North Carolina to join 
him at Petersburg. 

Cornwallis in Virginia. — Cornwallis believed that by 
muting all the British forces in one command he could 




LAFAYETTE 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 173 

easily conquer Virginia, and this he determined to do 
before attempting another campaign in the Carolinas. 
When he arrived at Petersburg, he found Arnold in 
charge, Phillips having a few days before died of fever. 
Arnold was almost as much despised by Cornwallis as by 
the Virginians, whose hatred of the traitor had led Gov- 
ernor Jefferson to offer a liberal reward to any one who 
should capture him. Not caring to continue in Virginia 
under such circumstances, Arnold applied for permission 
to return to New York, and this Cornwallis readily 
granted, being himself glad to be rid of the company 
of such a man. 

Richmond Evacuated. — Confident of easy success 
against the young Lafayette, late in May, 1781. Corn- 
wallis crossed the James River a few miles below Rich- 
mond and began to advance against the city, hoping to 
capture or destroy the small force of three thousand 
Americans opposing him. But he underestimated 
Lafayette's judgment, for instead of risking a battle, 
which he knew would under the circumstances be utter 
folly, Lafayette retired from Richmond in the direction 
of Fredericksburg to await the arrival of General Wayne. 
who, witli eight hundred Pennsylvanians, was marching 
from the north to reinforce him. Cornwallis pursued as 
far as the North Anna River, in Hanover County, where, 
having learned that Lafayette had been joined by Wayne. 
he went into camp until he could get a better view of the 
situation. 

British Raids. — Not being disposed to advance against 
the combined forces of the two American commanders. 
who were at this time in Culpeper County. Cornwallis 
decided upon a series of raids through the unprotected 
country in the direction of Charlottesville. Colonel 
Tarleton, a dashing cavalry officer, was sent to capture 



174 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Jefferson and the Virginia legislature, then at Charlottes- 
ville, while Colonel Simcoe was ordered with a small 
force to destroy some military stores that had been col- 
lected at Point-of-Fork, near the month of the Rivanna 
River. Simcoe's expedition was successful, but a timely 
warning saved Jefferson and the members of the legis- 
lature, who made their escape barely in time to avoid 
falling into the hands of Tarleton's dragoons. In the 
meantime, Cornwallis had been busy devastating Albe- 
marle and the adjacent comities, destroying cattle and 
property, and either freeing or carrying off thousands of 
slaves. The destruction wrought by the British in these 
raids amounted to millions of dollars. 

Cornwallis Moves to Yorktown. — These conditions 
were not allowed to continue long, however, for Lafay- 
ette, who had only been awaiting a favorable opportunity 
to strike the enemy, now moved his army with the inten- 
tion of cutting off the British. Cornwallis about this time 
received instructions from Clinton to embark for New 
York, where the British had been led to believe that Wash- 
ington was planning an attempt to recapture the city. 
Lafayette now took the offensive, and as Cornwallis re- 
treated down the James River the Americans followed in 
dose pursuit. After crossing the river near the site of 
Jamestown, the British commander got word that rein- 
forcements would not be needed at New York, and when 
he reached the little village of Yorktown it was decided 
to halt the army and throw up intrenchments. 

Siege of Yorktown, — This placed Cornwallis on the 
defensive; hut he had eight thousand men. and Lafayette. 
whose army numbered hardly half that number, eon- 
eluded that it would be better to await assistance from 
Washington before making an attack. When Washing- 
ton was informed of the situation, and- that Count de 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 175 

Grasse, with a French fleet of twenty-five ships carrying 
three thousand troops had just entered the Chesapeake 
Bay, he promptly determined to combine the American 
an<l French forces and capture Cornwallis before Clinton 
could send reinforcements. The plan was kept secret, 
steps being taken to make Clinton believe that an attack 



1 



-*„jLJ2tok^x±&J 






BATTLE OF YORKToUW 

was about to be made on New York. When the French 
Heel appeared and landed three thousand men to rein- 
force Lafayette, Cornwallis began to be uneasy, and a 
message was hurried to New York asking Clinton for 
more men. But Washington was already on his way to 
Virginia with the American army, and late in September, 
he and Count de Rochambeau joined Lafayette. The 
combined American and French troops now numbered 
fully sixteen thousand men. Thus, with the harbor 
patrolled by the fleet under de Grasse, and confronted on 



176 SCHOOL nrSTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

land with an army twice as large as his own, Cornwallis 
found himself completely cut off on all sides. His only 
hope now lay in the speedy arrival of reinforcements 
from New York. Knowing that these were daily ex- 
pected, "Washington not only pressed the siege with 
vigor, but made every preparation for defense against 
an outside attack. As the days passed the American 
batteries poured a merciless fire into the enemy's forti- 
fications, while a series of bayonet charges resulted in 
the capture of all but the inner lines of the British 
defense. 

Cornwallis Surrenders. — Cornwallis fully realized the 
hopelessness of long holding out against such odds, but 
lie was determined to save his army if such a thing wore 
possible. Failing in an attempt to cut his way through 
the besieging lines, he decided, as a last resort, to abandon 
his sick and wounded, and to escape in some boats which 
had been made ready just across the York River. But 
the elements were against him, for a storm drove the 
boats ashore, and the undertaking had to be given up. 
No help had come from Clinton, and Cornwallis now 
decided to sue for peace. On October 17 he sent to 
Washington a flag of truce asking that hostilities be dis- 
continued for twenty-four hours to consider terms of 
surrender. But Washington was unwilling to delay so 
long, for fear that reinforcements might arrive, and two 
hours was the time finally agreed upon. Two days were 
consumed in arranging the details, after which, at noon 
on October 19, 1781. the surrender took place. The 
Americans and French were drawn up in separate lines 
facing each other, while between them, with flags furled, 
marched the conquered British, their bands playing the 
doleful air. "The world's upside down." 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 177 

The End of the War. — The surrender of Cornwallis 
not only marked the close of hostilities in Virginia, but 
practically brought to an end the War of the Revolution. 
Though peace was not formally agreed upon for nearly 
two years, England was convinced that it would be im- 




MOORE HOUSE, YOBKTOWN, IN WHICH TERMS OF SURRENDER 
WERE DRAWN BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND CORNWALLIS 

possible to restore her control over the colonies, and de- 
cided to abandon further operations against them. The 
independence of the United States was recognized, and 
the new nation took its place among the sovereign powers 
of the world. Washington now gave up his commission 
as commander-in-chief and returned to his home at 
Mount Vernon, declining to accepl any pay for the 
service lie had rendered. He was glad to be again where 
he could enjoy the quiet life of a Virginia planter, but 
he did not cease to take an interest in I lie affairs of the 
nation. After a few years he was called to be the first 
President of the Tinted States, and we shall see that lie 
served his country as faithfully in peace as in war. 



178 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Governor Nelson. —In 1781, shortly before the siege 
of Yorktown began, Thomas Nelson was chosen governor 
to succeed Jefferson. Nelson was one of the most patri- 
otic of the many prominent Virginians of the Revolu- 
tionary period. During the early days of the British 
invasion, as commander of the Virginia forces, he ren- 
dered valuable service in organizing and equipping the 
militia prior to the arrival of Muhlenburg and Steuben. 
He was perhaps the wealthiest man in the colony, and 
most of his fortune was spent in providing for the de- 
fense of Virginia. Resides contributing of his own 
means, while governor he added his personal security 
to that of the commonwealth in order to obtain an outside 
loan with which to provide for carrying on the war. His 
home at Yorktown, which stood within the enemy's lines, 
was occupied by the British throughout the siege, and 
Nelson himself directed the American gunners to fire 
upon it. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What was the first attempt of the British to invade Virginia? 

2. Who was Benedict Arnold.' 

.".. What did hie do in Virginia .' 

4. Why did < ornwallis decide to invade Virginia? 

5. Whom did Washington first send to take charge in Virginia? 
Who was sent later? 

6. Tell about the evacuation of Richmond. 

7. Why diil Lafayette not defend Richmond? 

8. Give an account of raids made by British in Virginia. 
!>. Whv did Oornwallis move his army to Yorktown. 

10. What plans did Americans make for capturing Corn wall is? 
Describe the sieoe of Yorktown. 

11. Tell about the surrender of Oornwallis. When did it take 
place.' 

12. Give an account of what took place after the surrender. 

13. Who was Thomas Nelson? 

14. Find on the map (a) Portsmouth, (b) Petersburg, (c) Rich- 
mond, (d) Charlottesville, (e) Yorktown. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

VIRGINIA UNDER THE 
CONFEDERATION 

1781-1789. 



THE COXFE DE RATION FORMED. 

GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

Thomas Nelson (1781). Edmund Randolph (1786 

Benj. Harrison (1781-1784). 1788). 

Patrick Henry (1784-1786). Beverly Randolph (1788- 

1791). 

The Confederation of Thirteen States. — From 1776 to 
1781. Virginia, as well as the other twelve colonies, was 
?iii independent state. The Continental Congress which, 
as we have seen, was formed at the suggestion of the 
Virginia House of Burgesses in 1774. was simply a way 
for the delegates representing the different colonies to 
g( I together and confer as to the best means of co-operat- 
ing in the war against England. As soon as war began, 
in 177"). each colony also formed a temporary govern- 
ment of its own. and in the following year they began 
to establish permaneiil governments. Virginia was 
among the first colonies to have a state constitution, 
and this constitution was used until a new one was 
adopted in 1830. 

During the Revolutionary War. however, each state 
was a separate country so far as government was con- 
cerned. The Continental Congress had been given no 
power over the states, which were "sovereign" common- 
wealths. As early as 1776, when the Virginia House of 
Burgesses, through its delegates in the Continental Con- 
gress, proposed a statement of the independence of 
each colony from Great Britain, it also suggested a con- 



180 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

federacy of the colonies or states. This suggestion was 
put into the hands of a committee, which was told to pre- 
pare a plan of confederation. The committee drew up 
a plan in the form of Thirteen Articles of Confederation 
which were to hecome binding only when all of the 
states through their legislatures had agreed to them, and 
were to be changed only when every state had agreed 
to a change. The "sovereignty, freedom and independ- 
ence" of each state was made very clear and important 
in these Articles. 

It was not until 1781, however, that all of the states 
had agreed to the Articles of Confederation. The delay 
was caused by disagreement, particularly on the part of 
Maryland, over the division of the Northwest Territory. 

Virginia Cedes Her Northwest Territory. — Virginia 
had two claims on the Northwest Territory. The ter- 
ritory was nearly all the land lying between Pennsyl- 
vania and the Mississippi River north of the Ohio River, 
and to the Great Lakes. One claim was based on the 
charter of 1609, but as this charter was annulled in 
1624, the claim was not a very strong one. Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut, the Carolinas, Georgia, and New 
York, because of similar old charters, claimed parts of 
this land. But the other claim of Virginia was a much 
stronger and clearer claim. It was based on the fact 
that after Virginia had become an independent and sepa- 
rate sovereign state. Governor Patrick Henry, in 1778, 
authorized George Rogers Clark and his army of Vir- 
ginia soldiers to take all of this land from the British. 
The cost of Clark's expedition was paid out of the Vir- 
ginia treasury, and after Clark had defeated the British, 
he took possession of the country in the name of Vir- 
ginia. All of this northwest territory was made into 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 181 

the county of Illinois in October, 1778, and a "county 
lieutenant" was sent out to govern it. 

Even after several of the states claiming the land had 
agreed to the justice of A T irginia's claim, Maryland re- 
fused to agree because the Maryland legislature believed 
that this wild land was taken as the result of the war 
against Great Britain by all of the colonies, and belonged 
to no one state, but to all the states as a whole. Because 
Virginia wanted the Articles of Confederation adopted 
as a benefit to all the states, she very unselfishly agreed 
to cede her share in the great northwest territory to the 
United States, and Maryland agreed to sign the Articles. 
They were signed by all the states in 1781, and the states 
were in the Confederation until the Constitution of the 
United States was adopted in 1789. 



QUESTIONS. 

How many years was Virginia an independent state.' 

Why was the Continental Congress formed? How long was 

Virginia's first constitution used.' 

What were the Articles of Confederation? In what year did 

all of the states agree to those articles? 

What were Virginia's claims to the Northwest Territory.' 

What other states made claims to this territory .' 

Why did Virginia finally give the Northwest Territory to the 

United States? 



SETTLEMENT OF THE WESTERN COUNTIES. 

Settlement of the Western Part of Virginia. — As soon 
;is the Revolutionary War was over, more people than 
ever before moved into the country west of the Allegha- 
nies. Thousands of families passed through Virginia 
and settled in that part of the state which is now West 
Virginia and Kentucky, and into Tennessee and the 
territory north of tin- Ohio. In the western lands still 



182 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

owned by Virginia after she ceded the northwest ter- 
ritory, the Virginia government had established a general 
land office and sent land agents and surveyors to mark 
out the land to be sold to settlers. The price of land 
was put at two cents an acre in order to encourage peo- 
ple to buy and settle on it. Companies were soon formed 
in America and in England, however, to buy up large 
tracts of land at this low price and hold it to be sold 
at higher prices. The result was that a great deal of the 
best land got into the hands of these companies, who 
wanted such high prices for it that many of the settlers 
preferred to go into the territory north of the Ohio where 
they could get land for nothing. 

In spite of this, however, by 1790 there were over 
100,000 people in that part of Virginia west of the Alle- 
ghanies. These people came from many places. Some of 
them were immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and other 
European countries. Others were from the Piedmont 
section of Virginia* and North Carolina who had not 
been able to buy land there. Of those from the Piedmont 
section, some had owned small farms there, but they did 
not like slavery and sold their farms to go into a new 
country where there were no slaves. Still others were 
the sons of farmers in the Valley of Virginia and cattle- 
men of the same section who wanted farms of their own 
and more land for grazing. 

Roads to the Valley. — As the number of people who 
had settled in the Valley, between the Blue Ridge and 
the Alleghanies, and in the country west of the Allegha- 
nies, increased, the trails that had been blazed through 
the forests gradually came to lie used as roads. These 
roads were used by wagons carrying new settlers, their 

*What is known as Piedmont Virginia is that section east of the 
Blue Ridge Ridge Mountains and south of the .lames River down to the 
North Carolina line. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 183 

belongings and goods from the East to the new settle- 
ments, and bringing back furs, hides, ginseng, maple 
sugar and other products of the wilder sections to the 
eastern towns. 

There were two main wagon roads from Eastern Vir- 
ginia to the Valley. The first one was "Braddock's old 
road," once the trail over which General Braddock had 
marched to defeat in the war with the Indians and the 
French, which led from Alexandria to Winchester (for- 
merly Fort Loudon) . This road was used by the farmers 
in the northern part of the Valley in trading with mer- 
chants in Alexandria. The second wagon road was from 
Eastern Virginia to Rockfish Gap. After settlements 
had been made in Augusta County, about 1750, a "trail" 
was opened up for pack horses to Williamsburg. By 
1776 this had been widened into a fairly good wagon 
road, and at Rockfish Gap a branch road was made 
south to North Carolina. Over this southern branch 
ninny people came from Pennsylvania, passing through 
Virginia into the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina. 

Roads to the West. — But as settlers went still further 
west, longer roads were made to connect them with 
the seacoast. From 1750 to 1775, when people went into 
the wilds of what is now Eastern Tennessee, they left 
trails which afterwards became wagon roads for the 
famous "Knox teams." By 1790 a fairly good wagon 
road had been made all along the Shenandoah and Hols- 
ton river valleys as far south as Knoxville. making it 
possible for the merchants of Knoxville to trade directly 
by means of "Knox team" caravans with Baltimore. 
These Knox team caravans consisted of ten or twenty 
wagons, each drawn by six horses, and loaded with moun- 
tain products to Baltimore and with city goods hack- 
to Knoxville. 



184 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Probabi} the most used of the western roads through 
Virginia was the old "Wilderness Road." This road 
was along the trail blazed by Daniel Boone from the 
Holston and Watauga settlements through the Cumber- 
land Gap and across Kentucky to the Falls of the Ohio 
River, a distance of :!<><) miles. There was already a trail 
made by the first settlers from the headwaters of the 
•lames and Shenandoah rivers to the headwaters of the 
Holston and W T atauga rivers. This trail thus led from the 
settlements along the James River to the Ohio River, and 
in spite of the great hardships encountered in traveling 
so rough and rugged a country, thousands of people used 
it instead of the route through Pennsylvania by way of 
Fort Pitt (now Pittsburg), and thence down the Ohio, 
because of the dangers from Indians on the Ohio River 
route. Boone's trail soon became constantly used and 
it was called the "Wilderness Road" because of the 
wild country through which it led. Mail was carried 
regularly on horseback over this road from Fort Wash- 
ington (now Cincinnati) to Philadelphia, a distance of 
800 miles. 

Kentucky Becomes a Separate State. — What is now 
the state of Kentucky was the extreme western section of 
Virginia. When Virginia ceded her northwest territory 
to the United States, she was careful to reserve the 
Kentucky section for herself. In 1772 Kentucky was a 
part of Fincastle County, named after the English home 
of Lord Botetourt, who was governor of the Virginia 
colony from 1760 to 1770, but in 1776 Fincastle County 
was divided into three counties, Washington, Mont- 
gomery and Kentucky counties. 

By 1785 Kentucky County had more than 20.000 peo- 
ple, and towns were being started at Louisville, Lexing- 
ton. ITarrodsbnrg. Boonsboro. and Danville. The Ken- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 185 

tueky County people were so far away from the capital 
of the state at Richmond, however, that they began to 
believe that it would be better for them to become a sepa- 
rate state.* Tn 1785, at a convention held at Danville, 
they decided to organize a commonwealth, having pre- 
viously received assurance from Virginia that she would 
agree to it. Kentucky remained a part of Virginia. 
however, until 1792. when she was admitted to the Union. 
Washington Points Out the Need for Internal Im- 
provements. — So rapidly did the settlements in the west- 
ern part of Virginia grow, and so many were the people 
who passed through Virginia to the western sections 
beyond, that there was need of making better roads and 
transportation routes. George Washington believed that 
unless something was done to give the western Virginians 
a good route to the coast, they would do like the Ken- 
tuekians wanted to do and become a separate state. He 
also thought that Virginia merchants would gain a great 
deal of trade if the people west of the Alleghanies could 
lie given the means to trade in Alexandria, Norfolk and 
other Eastern Virginia towns, and he suggested that 
the rivers be made navigable for boats and that better 
wagon roads he constructed. In 1784 he visited the coun- 
try west of the Alleghanies to examine the courses of the 
rivers that might be used for navigation, and on his 
return lie drew a map showing where roads and canals 

Thfs was not tin- first time that an attempt was made to form a new 
Mate out of Kentucky. In 1775 Richard Henderson, of Virginia, aided 
by Daniel Boone, formed the Transylvania Company, which bought from 
the Cherokee Indians the land between the Cumberland and Kentucky 

rivers. Il was then that lJoone blazed the trail known a' the Wildei 

Hess Road. Tin' settlers founded Boonsboro, and set m a government, 

asking to lie made into a new state (lTTli). hut Virginia would not 

agree to its separation at that time, making it a separate county, 
howi vi 



186 SCHOOL UISTOEY OF i IEGINIA 

could be made so as to connect the Potomac and James 
rivers with the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.* 

In 1783 and 1784 many petitions were made by people 
in the western counties of the state to the Assembly of 
Virginia to make road and river improvements, and in 
1784 Washington himself visited the Assembly to urge 
the delegates to help the improvements that were pro- 
posed. As the result of his influence, Virginia agreed 
to join in with Maryland and Pennsylvania to improve 
the Potomac River, and in the same year (1784) the 
Assembly chartered a joint stock company, the James 
River Company, to improve the James River. 

James Rumsey and His Experiments. — In the same 
year that the Virginia Assembly began to aid in improv- 
ing the Potomac and James rivers, it promised to pay 
James Rumsey for any invention which would make a 
boat move against the current. 

James Rumsey was born in Maryland, and after serv- 
ing as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. moved to 
Path. Virginia (now called Berkeley Springs, in Morgan 
County, West Virginia). He had great talent for mechan- 
ics, and was a good, carpenter, blacksmith and mill- 
wright. Although it is claimed that he had the idea of in- 
venting a steamboat as early as 1774, the first record of 
what he was doing is seen in a petition to the Maryland 
Legislature in which he stated that he had successfully 
made a miniature boat that would propel itself by the 
power of steam. By 1783 Rumsey had built a boat large 
enough to contain a boiler and engine and several pas- 
sengers. It had neither propeller nor paddle wheels, 
such as steamers now have, but it was able to travel by 
the power of steam in a very curious manner. Along 
the keel or bottom was a long pipe, open at the stern. 

Washington first suggested canals to connect these rivers when he 
was yet a young man, in 1753. 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF IIRGIN1A 187 

The engine was nothing more than a crude steam pump 
which drew in water from under the boat and forced it 
through the pipe and out at the stern so rapidly that 
the boat was pushed forward. 

In October, 1783, he made a secret experiment on the 
Potomac River with the assistance of Joseph Barnes, 
his brother-in-law, and Nicholas Orrick, his business 
partner. The experiment was not entirely satisfactory. 
but it was successful enough to make the inventor believe 
that he could make the boat a success and to lead him to 
ask the Virginia Legislature to keep others from copy- 
ing his invention. A year later George Washington, who 
had a summer home at Bath, examined a model of the 
boat and saw it run, and later wrote Rumsey that he 
believed that it would succeed. Washington kept on 
encouraging Rumsey, and Rumsey worked faithfully to 
perfect his "mechanical boat," as it was called. 

Rumsey and the First Steamboat. — In the meantime 
Rumsey moved to Shepherdstown (now in West Vir- 
ginia), and after several mishaps, lie announced that lie 
would have a public trial of his steamboat in the fall 
of 1787. 

The trial took place on the Potomac River at 
Shepherdstown, and a crowd of curious people, among 
them General Horatio Gates, General William Darke, 
Major Henry Bedinger and other well-known men of 
that time. Two passengers got into the boat besides 
Rumsey, and the word was given to push off from the 
shore. The boat floated in the currenl while Rumsey 
busied himself -getting the machinery started, but there 
was no hitch this time and soon the engine began work- 
ing smoothly. The boat swung around and went up 
the river, while a great shout came from the hundreds 
of people on the shore. As the boat made its way againsl 



l»a SCHOOL HISTORY Ob i IRGIN1A 

the current by the power of steam alone, old, near- 
sighted General Gates, who had been watching it through 
his fieldglasses. took off his hat and in awe-struck tones 
exclaimed: "My God! she moves!" The boat returned 
and made several other short trips that day' at the rate 
of three miles an hour, carrying women and children on 
one of the trips. Tt was the first time in the history of 
the world that women had traveled on a steamboat. 

Other Successful Trials Made. — Other successful ex- 
periments were made later, and Rumsey went to Phila- 
delphia, where he interested Benjamin Franklin and 
others in his invention. Upon their advice, and with 
letters of introduction from Washington, Patrick Henry 
and many distinguished men, Rumsey set sail for Eng- 
land in 1788 to get his invention patented and to get 
English scientists interested in it. After a hard time he 
finally succeeded in having a boat one hundred feet long 
built, but he died suddenly in 1792, before he could see 
its success. It was in England that he met Robert Ful- 
ton, who has wrongly been given the credit in America 
for inventing the first steamboat in 1807. Rumsey was 
buried in London, and a tablet on his tomb proclaims 
him the inventor of the first steamboat. 



QUESTIONS. 

Why did people go into the section west of the Alleghanies? 

Especially those from Piedmout Virginia? 

What nationalities went into western Virginia? 

Trace on the map of Virginia the two roads from eastern 

Virginia to the Valley and the Wilderness Road. 

Of what county was Kentucky once a part .' 

Give Washington's reasons for urging that roads lie made 

to the west. 

What were the first river improvements that the state of 

Virginia aided? 

What was the population of western Virginia in 1790? Of 

Kentucky County? 

Who was the inventor of the first successful steamboat? 

Describe his invention and his success. 



SCLIOOL HISTORY OF ■ IHOlSiA L89 

QUESTIONS OF RELIGION AND SLAVERY. 

Some Other Matters in Which Virginia Was Inter- 
ested. — Besides the settlement of the western part of 
Virginia, the ceding of the northwest territory and the 
formation of a new state out of Kentucky County, the 
making of roads to the west and the new question of 
internal improvements, several other matters of great 
importance were interesting the Virginia people during 
the time Virginia was a state in the Confederation. 
Among these were : giving to all religious denominations 
the same rights, the protests against slavery, the helief 
that the states ought to he joined together to have a 
stronger central government than the Confederation pro- 
vided, and disagreements with Maryland over duties 
to he collected on goods imported from other countries. 
On some of these matters, the people living in eastern 
Virginia differed very much from those who had settled 
in western Virginia. This was because they were unlike 
in their origins, their beliefs, their ways of living, as 
we have already seen in the history of Virginia as a 
colony. The new questions made them differ all the 
more strongly and, as we shall see, caused them to 
become almost like the people of two separate states in 
years to come. 

The Dissenters in Virginia. — As long as Virginia was 
an English colony, the Church of England, or Episco- 
pal Church, was the "established" church, or the 
church which the colonial government required all 
people either to attend or pay fines for staying' away, 
and to support. Only Church of England ministers had 
the right to perform marriage ceremonies, and the church 
officers were colonial officers with the right to collect 
certain kinds of taxes. The churches themselves were 
given large tracts of land which they could rent ont 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Other denominations, such as the Presbyterians, the 
Quakers and the Baptists, had at this time many mem- 
bers. The members of these denominations Avere called 
"dissenters," because they disagreed in some of their be- 
liefs and differed 
fro m the Epis- 
copalians in their 
ideas as to how 
churches ought to 
be governed a n d 
supported. There 
w e r e Methodists 
also, but they at 
this time w e r e 
members of the 
Church of England 
and were against 
the ('issenters. By 
the time the Revo- 
itionary War be- 
ga -, however, two- 
J ids of the Vir- 
■ ia people were 
dissenters, and as 
soon as the first 
legislature met in 
1776, Thomas Jef- 
ferson and others 
from middle ami western Virginia, where the dissenters 
outnumbered the Episcopalians, introduced a bill to take 
away from the Episcopal Church some of its privileges. 
Although most of the members of the House of Burgesses 
were Episcopalians, a bill was passed for greater religious 
freedom, making it unnecessary for people to go to the 




THOMAS JEFFERSON 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 19] 

Episcopal Church unless they wanted, allowing dis- 
senters the right to vote and to build and support their 
own churches, and no longer requiring dissenters to sup- 
port the Episcopal Church ministers. 

The Disestablishment of the Episcopal Church. — 
After the Revolutionary War the dissenters wanted more 
rights and asked the Assembly to take away from the 




BRUTOX PARISH CHURCH, WILLIAMSBURG 

Episcopal Church all the rights that were not given to 
other churches. Jefferson at this time was in France, and 
James .Madison, aided by Ceorge and William Cary 
Nicholas, was the leader of the dissenters. While Madison 
and several other prominent men were Episcopalians, 
they did not believe that one church should he favored 
more than any other. So in ITS:: the Assembly received 
requests to repeal the law requiring dissenters to pay 
taxes for the support of the Episcopal Church, to give 
dissenting ministers the right to perform marriage 



192 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ceremonies, and to give dissenting churches a share 
in the lands which had heen given at public expense 
to the established church during the colonial days. Pat- 
rick Henry, aided by Washington, John Marshall, and 
Richard Henry Lee, took the side of the Episcopalians. 
Henry introduced a bill to allow the Episcopal Church 
the right to keep its lands, and to require every tax- 
payer to contribute to some church, whether it be Epis- 
copal or not. Immediately a great discussion arose 
throughout the state over the church question. People in 
the tidewater section agreed with Henry, but the Bap- 
tists, who were most numerous in the Piedmont section, 
and the Presbyterians of the Valley, vigorously opposed 
him, and sent many petitions to the Assembly against 
his proposals. The Methodists now also took the side 
of the dissenters, and so strong was the feeling against 
the state having anything to do with the supporting of 
any church or giving to any church property, that the 
Assembly did as the dissenters wished in 1787. From 
that time on, no religious denomination has been given 
any special favors over others, and the people of the state 
have had the right to worship and conduct their churches 
as they pleased. No person has since been denied the 
right to vote or to hold office because of his religion. This 
was known as "Religious Freedom," and Jefferson 
counted it as one of his achievements of which he was 
more proud than being President of the United States. 
Protests Against Slavery. — On the large plantations 
in tidewater Virginia, and to a considerable extent 
in central Virginia, slaves were used to till the ground, 
plant the crops, and do other work in the fields and in 
and around the homes of the white planters. The 
small farmers in the Valley of Virginia and in the 
newly settled country west of the Alleghanies. did not 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 193 

own slaves as a general rule, but did their own work. 
While Virginia was a state in the Confederation, there 
grew up a feeling against slavery in all that part of 
Virginia west of the Blue Ridge. There were three 
reasons for this. One was that some believed that it 
was wrong to own slaves. Those who opposed slavery 
for this reason were mostly dissenters. The Quakers 
sent a petition to the Assembly in 1784, asking that 
slavery be abolished. Another reason was that the 
small farmers west of the Blue Ridge were opposed to 
the rich plantation owners of the eastern counties, be- 
en use the eastern people had more delegates in the 
Assembly than the people in the central and western 
part of the state. The small farmers were so insistent 
that the Assembly passed laws encouraging the freeing 
of slaves by all owners who were willing to set their 
slaves free. A third reason was that many persons, 
some of them slave owners, believed that the owning of 
slaves did the owners harm, and would do harm to the 
whole state. George Mason, of Virginia, who helped 
to make the United States Constitution, stated this rea- 
son very clearly when he said that "slavery discouraged 
arl and manufactures, led the poor to despise labor, 
prevented the immigration of white persons to the state, 
turned slave masters into petty tyrants, and brought 
Hie judgment of Heaven upon the country". Jefferson, 
although a slave owner himself, was also very much op- 
posed to slavery and did everything he could to get 
rid of it. When Lafayette bought an estate in Cay- 
emee with the purpose of setting free the slaves on it, 
Washington, in a letter to him in 1783, said: "Would 
to God a like spirit diffuse itself in the minds of the 
people of tins country." Washington was the owner 
of ;i large number of slaves on his plantation and his 



194 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

estates, and was a kind and considerate master. Thus 
there were a large number of the best people in the 
state who wanted to see the slaves set free, although 
many of the plantation owners, who depended upon 
slaves to do their work, opposed it.* The great diffi- 
culty was to find some way of setting them free with- 
out leaving the slaves without care and means to sup- 
port themselves, since they were very ignorant and help- 
less, and without doing their owners, who had spent 
large amounts of money in buying slaves, serious 
injustice. 



QUESTIONS. 

Name the questions in which the Virginia people were inter- 
ested during the Confederation. 

Who were the "dissenters?" Why were they so called? Of 
what religions denomination were they composed? What 
privileges were given the Episcopalians? 

Who led the dissenters"? When was the first act passed for 
disestablishing the Church of England? How did Washington, 
Henry, John Marshall, and Richard Henry Lee stand on the 
question of disestablishment? 

Why were slaves needed in eastern Virginia and not in western 
Virginia .' 

How did George Mason, Jefferson, and Washington feel about 
slavery .' 

Name three reasons why western Virginians were opposed to 
slavery .' 



VIRGINIA'S SHARE IN FORMING THE UNION. 

The Need of a New Central Government. — Because 
each of the thirteen states of the confederation kept its 
independence and was not obliged to accept any advice 
from Congress as to what it should do, Congress had 

*Virginia was among the first states to forbid the bringing in of any 
more slaves from Africa. The Assemblv passed a law against slave 
importation in 1778. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 195 

very little power. Congress was made up of delegates 
from the states, but less than a third of the delegates 
ever attended any of its meetings. Congress had no 
power to levy taxes, or to get money for any purpose, 
although it owed pay to the soldiers who fought in the 
Revolutionary War. Finally the soldiers, in 1782, wanted 
to make Washington king, so that he could force 
Congress to levy taxes, but Washington dissuaded them, 
and Congress later gave them certificates promising 
them their pay. Some of the soldiers did not believe 
in the promises, and drove Congress out of Philadelphia 
with their muskets. Not only was Congress looked upon 
with very little respect, but the states had quarrels 
a mono' themselves, chiefly over the way Great Britain 
ought to he dealt with for refusing, in 1783, to allow 
trade with the states in any vessels except British ships. 
Some of the states put a high tax on all goods com- 
ing from England in order to retaliate; others would 
not levy these duties, because they wanted trade with 
Great Britian to continue even if only British vessels 
were used, and they could never reach an agreement 
on the matter. Except Holland and Prussia, no Euro- 
pean nation would make any agreement (treaty) with 
the Confederation, because congress had no power to 
carry out the agreement. The Confederation was about 
^170.000.000 in debt for the expenses of the Revolution- 
ary War. After 1786, Rhode Island refused lo have 
anything to do with Congress, and several of the New 
England and eastern states threatened to secede. 

Opinion Divided in Virginia on the Kind of Union 
Needed. — The question of a stronger union of the states 
thus began to lie discussed in all of Hie stales. In Vir- 
ginia, opinion was much divided. The people living in 
the towns in eastern Virginia, particularly those on 



196 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

the coast and near the mouths of the rivers where ships 
came from foreign countries to trade, *wanted a strong 
enough central government to get the states to agree on 
laws governing trade with Great Britain and the West 
Indies. The people in the Kentucky and Piedmont 
parts of Virginia wanted state sovereignty to he re- 
tained under any plan of union that might he adopted. 

The people of the northwestern section and of the 
Valley, many of whom had been soldiers under Washing- 
ton, favored a strong central government because he 
favored it, but, generally speaking, on this question as 
well as on other matters, as we have already seen, the 
difference of opinion in Virginia was between east and 
west, because of the differences in the kinds of people 
who lived in the two parts of the state. 

The States in Convention. — In the meantime. Mary- 
land and Virginia were trying to agree on laws govern- 
ing the navigation of the Chesapeake Bay, and on duties 
to be imposed on goods imported from abroad. At 
Mt. Vernon, the home of Washington, an agreement was 
made in 1785 by commissioners representing the two 
states. This success led Maryland to suggest that 
possibly all of the thirteen states could come to an agree- 
ment on the duties on imports (tariff). Virginia, act- 
ing on this suggestion, invited the other states to send 
delegates to a convention. In 1786, a convention was 
held, but delegates came from only five states. These 
delegates, however, petitioned Congress to call a second 
convention, which was done after some hesitation. In 
May, 1787, the convention was begun in Philadelphia. 
Washington was chosen to preside. Besides Washington, 

*The citizens of Norfolk, Fredericksburg, Falmouth (then an important 
town) and Alexandria petitioned in 1785 the House of Delegates to ask 
the Virginia representatives in Congress to take action in favor of uniting 
on tariff laws. 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIEGINIA 197 

the delegates elected from Virginia were Madison, 
George Mason, Patrick Henry, Edmond Randolph, 
George Wythe and James Blair. Patrick Henry, who 
did not helieve that there ought to be one central govern- 
ment, refused to attend, and took no part in the con- 
vention. 

"The Virginia Plan." — The plan for a better central 
government, which was finally adopted, was that drawn 
up by two Virginians, Madison and Randolph, and was 
known as "the Virginia plan." It was according to 
this plan that the federal government we now have was 
framed, and it was largely through the wisdom and 
eloquence of the Virginia delegates that it was adopted 
by the convention. When, after several months of 
argument, the plan was finished, it was in the form of 
a constitution. Washington was the first to sign it. 
and thirty-eight other names were signed. Some of the 
delegates from Massachusetts and New York would not 
sign it. because they thought that too much power was 
planned to be given to the federal government. 

Virginia Ratines the Constitution. — The Constitution, 
he tore it could be put into force, had to be agreed to 
(ratified) by all of the slates. A state convention was 
called by the Virginia Legislature to decide whether 
Virginia should ratify it. Led by Patrick Henry ami 
George Mason, the people of the Kentucky and Pied- 
mont sections opposed the proposed constitution he- 
cause they believed the stale would lose its sovereignty. 
On the other hand, the people of the valley and the 
tidewater sections, led by Madison, Randolph, Wythe 
ami others, and encouraged by Washington, who was 
not a member of the state convention, favored ratifica- 
tion. Those in favor of ratification were called Feder- 
alists: those opposed. Anti-Federalists. The debate he- 



198 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

tween the delegates representing both sides of the ques- 
tion was long, but an able speech of Madison, in favor 
of ratification, was so convincing, that, when the vote 
was taken on June 26, 1788, tbere were 89 ayes and 79 
noes, and Virginia bad ratified the Constitution. 

Before Virginia ratified the Constitution, nine other 
states had already done so. North Carolina and Rhode 
Island refused to take any action, but the other eleven 
states withdrew (seceded) from the Confederation and 
put the Constitution into effect in 1788. 

In 1789, Washington, the Virginian who had com- 
manded the American armies against Great Britain, 
who bad helped to get the states to join together in a 
stronger union, had presided over the convention which 
drew up the Constitution, and had done much to persuade 
his own state to ratify it, was elected the first President 
of the United States. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tn what ways was Congress under the Confederation very 
weak ? 

2. How were the people of Virginia divided on the need for a 
stronger central government? 

3. What part did Virginians take in forming a new federal 
government? 

4. How were the people of Virginia divided on ratifying the new 
federal constitution? How did Washington, Patrick Henry, 
Madison, Randolph, Mason, and Wythe stand on the question? 

5. What part did Washington take in the forming of the new- 
nation and of the United States government? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA IN THE UNION 



1789-1861. 



PR3SIDENT OF THE UNITED 
STATES : 

George Washington (1789- 

1797/ 
John Adams (1797-1801). 
'I h-jmiii Jefferson (1801-1809). 
.hunt's Madison (1809-1817). 
James .Monroe (1817-182")). 
John Qitincy Adams ( 1825 

1829). ' 
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837). 
Martin Van Bnren (1837- 

1841). 
William llenrv Harrison 

1841) . 
Join, Tvler (1841-1845). 
.lames K. Polk (1845-1849). 
Zaehary Taylor (1 849-1850). 
Millard Fillmore (1850-1853). 
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857). 
• lames Buchanan (1857-1861). 

iJOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 
"••verlv Randolph (1788-1791). 

llenrv Lee (1791-1794). 
Robert Brooke (1794-1796). 
Jomes Wood (1796-1799). 
James Monroe (1799-1802). 



John Page (1802-1805). 
William H. Cabell (1805- 

1808). 
John Tyler (1808-1811). 
James Monroe (1811 — re- 
signed ).* 
James W. Barbour (1812- 

1814). 
Wilson ('. Nicholas (1814- 

1816). 
James P. Preston (1816 

1819). 
Thomas M. Randolph (1819 

1822). 
James Pleasants (1822-1825). 
John Tvler (1825-1827). 
William B. Giles (1827-1830). 
John Floyd (1830-1834 I. 
L. W. Tazewell (1834-1836). f 
David Campbell (1837-1840). 
Th,»mas W. Gilmer ( 1840- 

1841).$ 
James Mr-Powell (1843-1* t6). 
William Smith (1846 1849). 
James B. Flovd ( 1849-1852). 
Joseph Johnson ( 1852 1856). 
llenrv A. Wise (1856-1860). 
John Letcher (I860 1864 ). 



The period between 1789, when Virginia became a 
state in the Union, until 1861, when Virginia withdrew 
from the Union to be one of the Confederate States, is 
known as "the ante-bellum days." During these seventy 
two yeaBS Virginia grew in population and in wealth. 



* Lieutenant-Governor G. W. Smith became governor 

killed i>. the Richmond Theatre disaster, and «;is succ led 

Randolph, acting until 1812. 

(■Governor Tazewell served only port oi his term, Lieu ten nnt-troi 

Wvndhrtm Robertson .-leninr until 1837 .. 

(Jovernor (iihner resumed in 1841; the senior members oi the '• < »>n t ' 11 - 
.1. M. Patton, John Rutherford Miid John M. Gregory, acting until 1843. 



200 SCHOOL JIISTOKY OF VIRGINIA 

and, until the feeling between the North and the South 
became bitter, occupied a position of great importance 
and power among the states. Her population increased 
from 747.610 in 1790 to 1,596,318 in I860.* Towns, 
some of which were little more than villages in 1790. 
grew into cities. Richmond, for example, in 1790 con- 
tained only 3.761 people, but in 1860 its population 
was 37,910, over ten times as large. In 1860 Norfolk 
had grown to be a city of 14,620 population; Petersburg 
had 18,266 inhabitants: Portsmouth, 9,496, and Lynch- 
burg, 6,853. 

During these years several hundred miles of roads 
(turnpikes) were constructed, a canal along the James 
River was dug from Richmond to Buchanan and up 
North River to Lexington, besides the making navigable 
of several other rivers, and 1350 miles of railroad were 
built. Many other similar improvements had been be- 
gun, but the Civil War put an end to them. Several 
colleges were started, and the University of Virginia, 
founded in 1818, became the center of education in the 
South. By 1860 the people of Virginia were prosperous 
and hopeful of even better times than they had ex- 
perienced in the past. 

*The population of Virginia in 1830 and 1860, by sections, whites and 
negroes was as follows: 

1830 1860 

Valley of Virginia 174,308 207,294 

Free Negroes 4,745 5,319 

Slaves 34,772 38,798 

White 134.791 163,177 

Trank-Alleghany Virginia 204,117 358,504 

Free Negroes 1,598 2,482 

Slaves 18,665 24,436 

White 183,854 331,586 

Piedmont Virginia 451,543 463,939 

Free Negroes 12,026 13,166 

Slaves 230,861 234,057 

Whites 208.656 216,716 

Tidewater Virginia 381,438 399,126 

Free Negroes 28,980 32,790 

Slaves 185,457 178,681 

Whites 167,001 187,655 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



•_'(H 



About the yea:- 1830 was a dividing line, however. 
in the history of ante-bellum days. From 1780 until 
then, Virginia was a leading state in the Union, because 
Virginians were 
leaders in the 
nation 's govern- 
ment; after 1830 
the Virginians be- 
came more inter- 
ested in improving 
their own state, in 
questions w i t h i n 
Virginia such as 
internal improve- 
ments, slavery and 
education, and in 
the South as an in- 
dependent section 
of the country. We 
have seen, too, that 
the settlers in the 
middle and west- 
ern sections of the 
state were very dif- 
ferent from the 
eastern Virginians ; 
in studying Vir- 
ginia's history in the ante-bellum days we shall see that 
this difference caused many conflicts on almosi every 
question in which Virginians were interested. 

Before studying these matters in detail, there were 
several other events of importance which we will take 
up first. 




JOHN RANDOLPH 



2U2 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

LEADING EVENTS. 

"The Virginia Dynasty." — Virginians not only played 
a leading part in the war against Great Britain for 
independence and in the forming of the 'new nation, 
but for;nearly forty years after the Constitution of the 
United States was adopted, they guided the destinies 
of the country in difficult times. From 1789 until 
3 825, a period of thirty-six years, the Presidents of the 
United States were Virginians, with the exception of 
•John Adams of Massachusetts, who was President for 
four years of that time. This period has been appropri- 
ately called the period of "the Virginia dynasty." 

George Washington was, as we have seen, elected the 
first President in 1780. During his first term the hard 
task of getting the new federal government started 
was accomplished. He was re-elected in 1793, and his 
patience and wisdom, and the respect in which he was 
held, kept those who disagreed on many questions in 
harmony. Because he was naturally dignified and so 
universally reverenced, some accused him of wanting 
to be king. The truth is that more than once he said 
that lie would rather live on his farm than be President. 
He accepted a second term only because he thought it 
his duty to his country, and declined a third term, re- 
tiring to his home at Mount Vernon, where he died in 
1799. Washington took a keen interest in Virginia ques- 
tions in spite of the perplexing and difficult national 
affairs during his presidency, and was responsible for 
starting a number of the important internal improve- 
ments by which he hoped that his own state might con- 
tinue to be the greatest commonwealth in the Union. 

Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. — Three other Vir- 
ginians each served two terms ;vs President. After the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 203 

four years of President Adams' adminstration, Thomas 
Jefferson was elected in 1801. By his foresight, two 
great territories were added to the United States by the 
purchase of the Louisiana territory from the French 
and the Lewis- 
Clark expedition 
to the Oregon ter- 
territory. J a m e s 
Madison was first 
e 1 e c t e d in 1809. 
During his admin- 
istration came the 
war of 1812 with 
England. It was 
while he was Presi- 
dent, too, that the 
Supreme Court of 
the United States, 
tlie chief justice of 
which was John 
Marshall,* another 
,»' i- e a t Virginian, 
made several im- 
portant decisions 
e x p 1 a i n i ng the 
m e a q i n g of the 

i , , i/i , •, JOHN TYLER 

Federal Constitu- 
tion as to the powers of the state and the national gov- 
ernments, -lames Monroe* succeeded Madison, being 
first elected in 1817. lie had many difficulties with 
foreign nations to deal with, and the stand he took that 
European nations must not interfere with the affairs 




See Appendix A. 



204 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

of any country on the American continents was set 
forth in the famous "Monroe Doctrine." It was dur- 
ing his administration that the great question of a 
"'protective tariff" first came up. The New England 
and the western states wanted high import duties on 
manufactured goods, so that goods made in foreign 
countries could he kept out and goods made in this 
country would supply what was needed. Two Vir- 
ginians in Congress were leaders on opposite sides of 
this question. Henry Clay, horn in Virginia hut now 
a Kentuckian, favored "protective" or higher duties, 
and John Randolph "of Roanoke," an eastern Vir- 
ginian, opposed them. 

Two Other Virginia Presidents. — In 1841 John Tyler, 
of Virginia, who was elected Vice-President in 1840, 
succeeded President Martin Van Buren, who had died 
shortly after he was inaugurated. Tyler was President 
under trying circumstances. The question of allowing 
slavery in new states as they were formed caused much 
discussion, and Tyler was a man who thought for him- 
self and did as he thought right regardless of whether 
his friends agreed with him or not. Hence he became 
unpopular with the Whig party, which did not believe as 
he did about slavery. Possibly the greatest achievement 
of his administration was the annexation of Texas as 
a state. In 1848 General Zachary Taylor, who gained 
fame in the war with Mexico, was elected President. 
Taylor was a Virginian only by birth and had lived 
nearly all his life in Tennessee. 

Trial of Aaron Burr, 1807.— The famous trial of 
Aaron Burr, once vice-president of the United States, 
for treason, took place in Richmond in 1807. Burr was 
accused of conspiring with enemies of the United States 
to seize some of its territory and set up a government 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



of his own. Jefferson, who was then President, had 

him arrested and brought to trial before John Marshall, 

Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, The 

trial attracted a great deal of attention. Burr was 

acquitted because 

there was not 

enough evidence Ito 

prove the charge 

against him, but 

there were many 

people who believed 

him guilty. After 

wandering in many 

countries, Burr 

died in poverty and 

forgotten in New 

York several years 

later. 

The Richmond 
Theatre Disaster, 
1811. — The first 
great 1 heat re disas- 
ter in the United 
States occurred in 
Richmond in 1811. 
A hundred a n d 
twenty-five people 
lost their lives 
when the Richmond 
production of a play 




.[IIIIX M \KSII A I, I. 



theatre was burned during the 
In the audience were a tmmber 
of distinguished men and their wives, several of whom 
perished. Among them was the governor of the state. 
fi. W. Smith, and Ex-United States Senator A. B. Yen- 
able. The people were trapped in the theatre by the 



20(3 SCHOOL HISTOBT OF I IEGINlA 

Haines, and. besides those who lost their lives, there 
were scores who were injured by the fire and hurt in 
the wild scramble to get out of the blazing building. 
The fire-fighting apparatus of those days was very poor, 
and there was no way to stop the flames after they had 
started. The catastrophe caused the whole state to 
mourn for the governor and the many others who died 
in so fearful a manner, and the entire nation was ap- 
palled. 



QUESTIONS. 

What were the "ante-bellum" days in Virginia? 
What towns grew into cities between 1790 and 1860? 
What canal improvements were made? What other transporta- 
tion methods were made? 

What differences in matters interesting the people were seen 
before and after 1830? 
What was "the Virginia dynasty?" 

What was Washington's chief motive for being President? 
Name the most important events during the administrations of 
Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, and Tyler. 
Tell of Aaron Burr's trial. 
Tell of the Richmond theatre disaster. 



The War With Great Britain: Causes, 1793-1812.— 
When Jefferson was President, several things happened 
to cause unfriendliness between the United States and 
Great Britain, resulting later in war during the ad- 
ministration of Madison. As early as 1793, British naval 
captains began stopping American vessels on the seas 
and taking British seamen for service in the British 
navy in Great Britain's war with France. The United 
States protested, not only because the searching of Ameri- 
can ships was a high-handed thing, but because many of 
the seamen seized were American citizens. Jefferson 
was opposed to war. however, and he first tried every 
other means of stopping this practice. But when a 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 207 

British ship, the Leopard, actually tired on an American 
vessel, the Chesapeake, and forcibly seized three Ameri- 
can sailors. Jefferson thought it was time to do something 
more than merely protest. Acting upon his advice 
Congress passed 
the Embargo Act 
in 1807, stopping 
all trade between 
United States ' 
ports and other 
nations in order to 
prevent England 
From getting sup- 
plies of food and 
other articles from 
1 his country. The 
Embargo did not 
hurt Great Britain, 
but it did injure 
the tobacco plant- 
ers and other farm- 
ers in Virginia, 
who were prevented from shipping their products 
abroad. It was not popular in the New England States 
either, and Congress was ready to repeal it when Madi- 
son became President in 1809. In place of the Embargo, 
< longress passed an act allowing trade with all countries 
except England and France. 

In the meantime Great Britain continued her seizure 
of American seamen, and in 1811 began stirring up the 
Indians in the west against the United States. These acts, 
together with a tone of haughty superiority on the part 
of Great Britain towards the United Slates, caused war 

Vppendix A. 




208 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

to be declared in 1812. Although President Madison 
was opposed to war, Henry Clay, who was born in Vir- 
ginia but now a resident of Kentucky and speaker of 
the House of Representatives, and John C. Calhoun, 
of South Carolina, both of whom were leaders in Con- 
gress, favored it. The people in the eastern part of 
Virginia were also in favor of war, but there was much 
opposition to it in the western counties because it would 
stop Virginia's exports of beef, pork, flour, and lumber 
to other countries. Because John Randolph, who was 
a Congressman from eastern Virginia, opposed war. he 
failed to be re-elected in 1813, while the Congressmen 
from western Virginia, Sheffey, Breckenridge, and Baker, 
strongly fought against the declaration of war. 

The War With Great Britain, 1812-1814.— The war 
lasted about two years. The Americans were defeated in 
their attempts to invade Canada, and only Commodore 
Perry's victory over the British fleet on Lake Eric, and 
the splendid fighting of American soldiers under Gen- 
eral Jacob Brown, aided by a Virginian, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Winfield Scott, prevented the English from 
invading this country on the north. In the meantime, 
the British navy, boasted of as the strongest in the 
world, was defeated in 1813 in a number of engagements 
with smaller and fewer American vessels, because of the 
good marksmanship of American gunners. But the 
superior number of British ships was able to blockade 
American ports along the Atlantic coast. Admiral 
Cockburn and his British fleet in 1813 sailed up the 
Chesapeake Bay and did a great deal of damage to 
property on the Virginia shores on both sides of the 
bay. On June 22, the British attacked Craney Island, 
which is about three miles from the mouth of the Nanse- 
mond River. Admiral Cockburn had between fifteen 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF PIRGINI2 209 

and twenty vessels, and he landed about 2500 infant i\ 
and marines in the rear of the half finished American 
fort on the island which was defended by about 600 
militia from Virginia and a battery of nine guns. The 
Virginians determined to fight hard and they nailed 
their flag fast to the pole. They succeeded in repulsing 
the attack from the rear, but while they were doing this 
another British force composed of from 1200 to 1500 
were being sent in about 50 barges from the ships. As 
they approached and before they landed, the Americans 
fired upon them, sinking four or five of the barges and 
shattering several others. The British returned to their 
ships, having lost in the battle about 200 killed and 
wounded. The enemy landed a large force, however, 
on the mainland and captured Hampton. The conduct 
of the British admiral and other officers in allowing 
their soldiers and the negroes who followed them to 
commit fearful outrages on defenseless people so stirred 
up the Virginians that large forces of militia were 
rallied and drove the British back to the ships. 

In 1814 another British fleet sailed up the Chesapeake 
Bay. defeated the Americans at Bladensburg, Mary- 
land, marched to Washington and burned the White 
House, the unfinished capitol and other public buildings, 
besides ravaging Alexandria and the surrounding 
country. Their victorious expedition was stopped when 
I hey attacked Baltimore, however.* 

In the west Andrew Jackson defeated the Indians who 
were helping the British, and in the hist battle of the 
war at New Orleans he and his riflemen gained a greal 
victory over the British veterans under General Paken- 
ham. The end of the war came with the treaty of Ghent, 

*I1 w;is on this occasion tlii Francis Scott Key composed "The 
Spangled Banner." 



210 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

December 24, 1814, although the battle of New Orleans 
was fought two weeks afterwards because news of peace 
had not then reached there. 

The Old Capitol Burned.— Tu 1882 the old capitol 
building at Williamsburg, in which the House of Bur- 
gesses met before Richmond was made the state capital, 
was destroyed by fire. Although nothing was left of the 
historic building except its foundations and blackened 
walls, the state records and papers were saved. 

Edmund Ruffin and Better Farming — In 1843 Ed- 
mund Ruffin formed the first state farmers' organiza- 
tion, under the name of the "Virginia State Agricul- 
tural Society," for the purpose of getting the farmers 
and planters to use less wasteful farming methods. 
Ruffin was the first great scientific farmer in Virginia. 
After going to William and Mary College, he took up 
farming and the study of chemistry and its relation 
to soils, beginning this work about 1814 when he was 
only twenty years old. At that time the soil in the 
eastern Virginia counties was becoming worn out because 
the planters had kept on raising tobacco on the same 
land year after year without using any fertilizers or 
other methods to put back into the soil what had been 
taken out of it in the crops. Ruffin made a number of 
experiments with marl (clay and limestone found in 
large quantities in Virginia) and found that by mix- 
ing it with the soil the yield would be greatly increased. 
Farmers now use lime in the same way and for the 
same purpose. 

He wrote a book entitled "Arator," telling of his suc- 
cessful experiments, and giving advice to farmers on how 
to improve their land. Later he wrote a large number 
of magazine articles and pamphlets on better farming, 
and for ten years was editor of the "Farmers' Register," 



SCHOOL BISTORT OF VIRGINIA 211 

an agricultural paper. In 1854 he was made state 
agricultural commissioner. His great work resulted in 
more careful farming and greater crops and in the im- 
provement of the land in the eastern and central parts 
of the state. 

Virginians and the Mexican War, 1846-1848. — One of 
the causes of the war with Mexico was the annexation of 
Texas, in which a Virginian, General Sam Houston, 
played the leading part. Texas was once a province of 
Mexico, but a number of settlers had come in and had 
set up a government of their own. When the Mexicans 
tried to force them to remain a part of their nation, 
the Texans, under the leadership of General Houston. 
defeated them in the battle of San Jacinto in 1836 and 
proclaimed their independence. They formed a new re- 
public, and Houston was elected their president. Several 
years later they wanted Texas to be admitted as a state, 
with tli*- right to allow slavery to exist in its boundaries. 
This step was favored by the Virginian who was then 
President of the United States, John Tyler,* although 
the North strongly opposed ;i new slave state. In 1845, 
Texas was admitted, however. 

Other matters, such as the question of how far south 
and west the Texan boundary went, the failure of Mexico 
to make amends for injury to American property and for 
other acts, and the desire of the United States to gel 
California from Mexico, brought on the war in 1846. 
In this war most of the American soldiers were South 
<nicrs, a large number coming from Virginia, as the 
war was popular in the South, and the two generals 
commanding the American armies were Virginians. The 
first part of the war was conducted by General Zachary 

Appendix A. 



212 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Taylor, a Virginian, who marched from his camp at 
Corpus Christi, on the Neuces River, to the Rio Grande 
River in defiance to the Mexican general, Santa Anna, 
defeating the Mexicans at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma. and driving the enemy across the Rio Grande, 
which was the boundary line. He then marched to 
Matamoras and advanced on Monterey, capturing it after 
a short siege, and later defeated the Mexicans at Ruena 
Vista. In the meantime other American troops had 
gained control of the California section. 

The second part of the war was conducted by Gen- 
eral Winfield Scott, a Virginian who had distinguished 
himself in the war of 1812 and who now was commander- 
in-chief of the T nited States army. General Scott landed 
with his troops at Vera Cruz, capturing that port, and 
marched toward Mexico City. The Americans forced 
their way through the mountain pass of Cerro Gordo 
against great odds, capturing several towns and winning 
several smaller victories. A hard-fought battle was won 
at Molino del Rev, and the heights of Chapultapec, right 
at Mexico City, were bravely stormed, and the enemy's 
capital taken. 

Besides the two leading generals, a number of the best 
officers on the American side were Virginians, among 
them he ; ng Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson. Along 
^illi Lee and Jackson in this war fought U. S. Grant 
and George B. MeClellan. all of whom were to take 
prominent parts in the Civil War and received their 
military experience under General Scott. 

The Gold Mining "Fever," 1849.— When gold was 
discovered in California, many Virginians, lured by the 
hone of becoming rich by mining the precious metal. 
joined the large crowd of "forty-niners" — so called 
Iv'hiisc thev went in 1849 — who undertook the long 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 213 

trip across the Rocky Mountains and the desert to the 
Pacific coast. In Richmond some fifty wealthy men 
formed the "Madison Mining Company" for the pur- 
pose of mining gold in California. Some of them went 
to the new gold fields and took a number of adventur- 
ous gold-seekers with them. Many of them never came 
back, and others returned broken in spirit and without 
gold or money. 

The Yellow Fever Epidemic. — In 1855 Norfolk and 
Portsmouth were visited by a yellow fever epidemic from 
which nearly 2000 people died. It was called "The 
Great Pestilence" and lasted for three months. In Nor- 
folk one out of every three persons died from the disease, 
because at that time no one knew how to prevent it or 
treat people who were taken with it, The physicians 
of those two cities stayed bravely at their work of help- 
ing the victims the best they knew how, although half of 
them lost their own lives in the epidemic. 

The disease was thought to have been brought to Nor- 
folk by a ship from St. Thomas which had some yellow 
fever cases on board. As soon as it became known that 
the disease had started in Norfolk, many people moved 
away to other parts of the state. In September the 
fearful scourge was at its worst. People died by the dozen 
every day, and the hearses carried two, three and four 
corpses out to the cemeteries at each load. There were 
Prom sixty to eighty new cases every day in Norfolk and 
from twenty to thirty a day in Portsmouth. By October 
very few new cases occurred, but it was several months 
before those who had left the two towns would go back 
to their homes. Many families had been wiped out, and 
hundreds of people lost their relations and friends. The 
sum of $200,000, subscribed all over the state, was used 
to relieve the sick, bury the dead and care for the 
bereaved ones. 



214 SCHOOL HISTORY OF TlBGINlA 

Literature Before the War. — Virginians during this 
period were more interested in politics, internal improve- 
ments and the industrial development and settlement of 
the western counties than in poetry or novels. Espe- 
cially in the years from the Revolution until 1830. the 
writings were on political topics, among which may be 
mentioned particularly the writings of Jefferson, Madi- 
son, Edmund Pendleton and John Taylor, who discussed 
national and state political matters. A large number of 
pamphlets were written on these questions, and much 
of the space in the newspapers was devoted to them. 
The newspapers of those days contained comparatively 
little news, but gave much attention to editorials, essays, 
and letters on public questions. The leading news- 
paper of the time was the Richmond Enquirer, founded 
by Thomas Jefferson and Spencer Roane, and edited for 
over forty years by Thomas Ritchie, who was an able 
writer. Other important newspapers were the Lynch- 
burg Republican, the Richmond Whig, the Kanawha 
Republican, the Norfolk Herald, Winchester Republican, 
and the Alexander Gazette. Edmund Ruffin. the first 
scientific farmer in Virginia, wrote some important es- 
says, articles, and books on fertilizing land and farming 
in general, which taught many farmers how to improve 
the soil by use of chemicals. Robert Howison wrote the 
most important history of Virginia of this period, and 
a number of books and pamphlets on language and litera- 
ture and mathematical subjects were written by pro- 
fessors in the University of Virginia and other colleges. 
Tn 1834 the Southern Literary Messenger, the best 
known southern magazine, was started in Richmond, 
and was published for a number of years, containing 
a large number of well written articles and some of the 
best poetry of the time. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



215 



The best novels, stories, and poetry by Virginia 
writers came after 1830, however, although political 
writings were more numerous even until the Civil War. 
John Pendleton Kennedy published in 1832 a novel en- 
titled "Bracebridge Hall," dealing with Virginia life, 
and later wrote 
several other nov- 
els which were 
widely read. John 
Esten Cooke pub- 
lished his first no- 
vel, " Virginia 
Comedians" short- 
ly before the Civil 
"War, which is con- 
sidered by some to 
lie the best novel 
published in the 
South in the ante- 
bellum days. But 
the greatest poet 
and short story 
writer in all Vir- 
ginia's history, 
Edgar Allan Poe, 

lived and wrote at this time. Although born in Boston, 
he lived in the South, was a student at the University 
of Virginia, and did most of his best work in Virginia. 
He was for several years editor of the Southern Literary 
Messenger, and he began publishing his wonderful tales 
in 1833 after publishing two volumes of poetry in 1827 
and 1831. His most famous poem, "The Raven." was 
published in 1<S15, four years before his untimely death. 




iAK ALLAN POE 



216 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What measures did Jefferson take to punish England without 
going to wa r .' 

2. How did the Virginians look upon the Embargo? 

3. What were England's acts which caused the war of 1812? 

4. How were the Virginia people divided on the war? 
.1. What part did Virginians take in the war? 

<i. Tell of the attack at Craney Island? 

7. How did Edmund Ruffin benefit farming? 

8. What Virginians took prominent parts in the war with 
Mexico ? 

9. Tell of the campaigns in Mexico, and point out on a map of 
Mexico the route taken by the American armies and the 
battlefields. 

Id. Why did so many people die of the yellow fever in the Nor- 
folk Epidemic? 

11. Name: (a) Virginia writers on politics; (b) on farming; 
(c) history; (d) poets; (e) novelists. 



CONFLICT BETWEEN EAST AND WEST 

The Old Antipathy Grows. — In the history of Vir- 
ginia under the English crown and in the Confederation 
we saw that there were wide differences in the people 
who lived in eastern Virginia and in western Virginia. 
These differences during the ante-bellum period resulted 
in many conflicts on almost every question of impor- 
tance that came up. 

In 1810, when the delegates and senators were appor- 
tioned to the counties according to the population, east- 
ern Virginia counties, having the greatest population 
at that time, had more delegates than the rest of the 
state. Later on, when the population of the counties 
in western Virginia had grown much larger, the eastern 
counties had more than their share of the representatives 
in the Assembly. Hence the eastern counties were able 
to vote down any proposals made by the other sections 
of the state. 



Si HOOL EISTOKT OF VIRGINIA 217 

This led to many bitter controversies. The western 
people, as we shall see. wanted to establish a public free 
school system, to abolish slavery, and to build roads and 
canals in western Virginia. The east opposed these 
thing's, because heavier taxes would have to be levied 
on its wealthier people in order to obtain the necessary 
money. The western people wanted to allow all white 
men over twenty-one years of age to vote instead of 
allowing the vote to only those who owned a certain 
amount of preperty. If this could be done, then the 
constitution could be so changed as to allow the west- 
ern people enough representatives in the Assembly to 
pass laws putting a heavier tax on slaves as well as 
other property, to furnish money for schools and im- 
provements. 

The eastern people, who owned many slaves and large 
plantations as well as other valuable property, were 
opposed to this. They believed that the amount of 
property, not the number of people, ought to be the 
basis on which the number of voters and representatives 
should be determined and the government be conducted. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830— In 1825 
the western people began urging a convention to change 
tlic constitution which had been made in 1776. Had it 
not been that many eastern people did not like the way 
the county courts were conducted, the convention prob- 
ably would not have been held, but, by a small majority, 
liie voters decided to call a convention, and delegates 
were elected. The convention met on October 5, 1829, in 
Richmond. Among its members were some of the most 
distinguished men of the day: James Madison and 
-lames Monroe, both of whom had been Presidents of the 
United States: John Marshall, the great chief justice 
of the United States Supreme Court; Governor W. B. 



218 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Giles ; two United States Senators, L. W. Tazewell and 
John Tyler who later was President of the United 
States; eleven Congressmen, among whom was John 
Randolph; and such men as B. W. Leigh, Chapman 

Johnson, and Lew- 
is Summers. Peo- 
ple came not only 
from all over Vir- 
ginia to hear these 
famous men de- 
bate, but fro m 
many other states 
and even from for- 
eign countries. Be- 
cause the questions 
at stake were so 
important and be- 
cause the conven- 
tion was composed 
of so many noted 
and able men, 
T li o m a s Ritchie, 
the famous editor 
of the Richmond 
Enquirer, urged 
t li a t Virginians 
had before them a 

JAMES MONROE 

great opportunity. 
•'The eyes of the world are upon us." he frequently 
wrote in his editorials. 

In spite of several months of brilliant debate and of 
thoughtful discussion, however, the convention did very 
little to settle the vexing questions. Except in some 
unimportant things, the Constitution was not changed, 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 219 

and when it was finally adopted by the convention and 
approved at a general election by the people, the west- 
ern Virginians were more dissatisfied than ever before. 

But one very important thing did result. Before the 
convention was called the counties in the Valley and the 
northern part of Central Virginia had always taken 
sides with the counties on the western side of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains. The new constitution so changed 
the way in which members of the General Assembly w r ere 
apportioned to the counties, that these central counties 
had more representatives than before and the people 
in that section were better satisfied. So that when the 
old differences between east and west came up, the central 
Virginia counties very often took sides with the eastern 
counties. This change meant that the dividing line 
between eastern and western Virginia was the Alle- 
ghany Mountains instead of the Blue Ridge. 

Western Virginians Threaten to Form a New State. — 
The people west of the Alleghanies did not give up 
their fight, however, but they were able to change their 
argument. Between 1830 and 1850 the western counties 
rapidly increased in population, many new settlers com- 
ing in. Tn 18.30 the counties east of the Blue Ridge 
had 57,000 more white people than the counties west 
of it; in 1840 this was reversed, the counties west of 
the Blue Ridpe having 2,172 more white people than 
in the eastern counties. Furthermore the western peo- 
ple gradually owned much more property than before. 
So that after 1840 they began demanding another con- 
vention to change the constitution. Their argumenl 
to the eastern Virginians was this: "Tn 1829-1830 you 
refused to allow us more voters and more representatives 
in the Assembly because we did not have enough prop- 
erty to give us the right to them. Now we have not 



220 SCHOOL HISTORY OF 1'IRGIMA 

only more people, but we have a great deal more prop- 
erty, and according to your own argument yon ought 
to give us a larger share in the state government," 

The Assembly, controlled by the eastern Virginians, 
refused several times to call another constitutional con- 
vention. Then the western Virginians began to take 
steps to form a new state to be called "Appalachia. " 
Several meetings were held in Charleston and Lewisburg, 
and the newspapers in the western counties contained 
many editorials and letters urging dismemberment. 
When it seemed that the western counties were in earnest 
about separation from Virginia, the eastern counties as 
well as the central counties began to believe that they 
would have to yield. Finally the Assembly called a 
new convention in 3850, and it met in Richmond in 
August of that year. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851.— The 
new convention was not composed of so many dis- 
tinguished men as the convention of 1829-1830, but it 
accomplished a great deal more. The western Virgin- 
ians, strange to say, found a leader in an eastern man, 
Henry A. Wise,* of Accomac County. Under his leader- 
ship two important changes were made. One was that 
all white men over twenty-one years of age were to be 
allowed to vote, and the other was that property of 
every kind was-, to be taxed in the same way all over the 
state, but with special taxes on slaves. Although the 
western counties wanted a high tax on slaves, they were 
much better satisfied with the settlement of the voting 
(or suffrage) question. Even while the convention was 
in session, many threats of dismemberment were made 
in the western counties, and it was only because of these 
threats and the work of Wise in the convention that the 

See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 221 

eastern Virginians surrendered on this point. The new 
constitution, after being adopted by the convention, was 
ratified by the voters in 1851. 

The Real Differences Never Settled.— The result of 
the new constitution whs that, as we shall see. the repre 
sentatives from counties west of the Alleghanies. with 
the occasional help of the representatives from the Val- 
ley, were able to get laws passed by the Assembly for 
extensive internal improvements in the western part of 
the state. But the difference between the people easl 
and west of the Alleghanies were too great to he set 
tied. The western Virginians had not only, from 
ITS!) to 1860, been opposed to their eastern neighbors 
on state questions, but they had taken the side of the 
North in national questions. Eastern Virginians for the 
most part were Democratic-Republicans, or Democrats 
as they were called after 1827. Western Virginians 
were Federalists, or Whigs as they were called until 
about 1852, or Republicans as they were known after- 
wards. The Democrats believed in the states retaining 
the power in the federal or national government, and in 
the right of secession ; the Federals, or Whigs or Repub- 
licans, believed in more power for the federal govern- 
ment. 

Hence, when the great question of seceding from the 
Union came up in I860 and 18(51, the Virginians east of 
the Alleghanies naturally took the side of the South. 
while probably a majority of the Virginians west of 
the Alleghanies naturally took the side of tie- North. 
The formation of West Virginia as a new state in L861 
and 1Sb'2 came, not so much because of the war, hut be- 
cause of the differences in the people on the two s : des 
of the Alleghany Mountains and their many years of 
bitter conflict. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

Why were the eastern Virginians able to oppose successfully 
the proposals of the western Virginians prior to 1850? 
What proposals did the western Virginians make as to suf- 
frage, taxes, schools, and internal improvements? 
What famous men were members of the constitutional con- 
vention in 1829-1830? 

What one important result came from the Constitutional 
Convention of 1829-1830? 

Whv were the people west of the Alleghanies dissatisfied with 
the Constitution of 1830? 

How did the western Virginians succeed in getting another 
Constitutional Convention called? 

Who was the leader of the western Virginians in the Con- 
stitutional Convention of 1850-1851? 

What two important changes in the constitution were made? 
Write a list of all the differences between the eastern and 
western Virginians. 
Whv were the differences never settled? 



INDUSTRIAL CHANGES. 

Two Changes Between 1790 and 1860. — Two changes 
took place in the industrial history of Virginia between 
the time she became a state under the new constitution 
of the Union and the time she seceded from the Union 
in 1861. 

One was backward, from 1790 to about 1830, and the 
other was forward, from about 1830 to 1861. So that the 
history of how the Virginia people made their living 
on farms and in business and manufacturing before the 
Civil War, is divided into two parts: (1) from 1790 to 
3 830, when they did not grow any richer as a whole, and 
some of them became poorer; and (2) from 1830 to 1861. 
when they grew richer, and business of all kinds was 
more prosperous. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 223 

THE FIRST CHANGE, 1790-1830. 

Conditions in 1790. — Tn 1790 everything seemed bright 

and hopeful to Virginians, for three reasons: First. Vir- 
ginia statesmen and soldiers had taken a leading part 
in the making of the new nation, and she was regarded 
as the "Mother State" and the chief state of the Union. 

Second. Virginia at that time was the largest state 
in the Union, and included the territory which is now 
West Virginia and Kentucky, having in all ninety coun- 
ties, with a population of 821,287, which was nearly twice 
that of Pennsylvania, the next largest state. 

Third, the people in the eastern part of Virginia were 
wealthy and cultured, and sold the tobacco they raised 
in the countries of Europe and with the West Indies. 

Fourth, large numbers of people had settled in the 
western part of the state beyond the Blue Ridge Moun- 
tains and in the territory west of the Alleghanies. 
Plans for making roads and canals to the west had al- 
ready been made, and the people of the towns on the 
eoast hoped to get the trade of the western people and 
keep it from going down the Ohio and the Mississippi, 
and up the Ohio to Pittsburg, and from there to Phila- 
delphia. The prosper* of getting this trade as the west- 
ern country was more thickly populated, caused the mer- 
chants of Alexandria and Norfolk, as well as of the 
other towns along the proposed roads and canals, to 
hope that the ports on the Virginia coast would become 
important centers like New York and Philadelphia. 

Thus everything seemed very promising to the people 
of Virginia, and they thought that their state would 
become the great business section of the new nation. 

Condition in 1830. — The hopes of the Virginians in 
1 790 did not come true forty years later. Instead of 
more produce being raised on the farms, and more busi- 



224 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ness being done with other parts of the United States 
and other countries, there was less in proportion to the 
number of people living in Virginia. The population 
in Virginia in 1830 was 1,211,405. In 1792 Kentucky 
had been made a separate state. Tf she had remained 
a part of Virginia, the number of people in Virginia 
would have been 687,917 more. So that from the largest 
state in population, Virginia was in 1830 the third in 
the Union — two other states having gone ahead. 

But the new part of the population was in the middle 
and western parts of the state. The eastern counties 
had very few more people in 1830 than they had in 
1790, and instead of being richer, they were poorer. A 
member of the General Assembly described the con- 
dition of affairs there in the following manner: 

What Was Said of Eastern Virginia in 1830.—' ' If we 
but turn our eyes to that part of the country which lies 
below (east of) the mountains," he said, "and particu- 
larly below the falls of the rivers, it seems as if some 
judgment from Heaven had poured over it and seared it ; 
fields once cultivated are now wasted and desolate — -the 
eye is no longer cheered by the rich verdure that decked 
it in other days; no, sir, but fatigued by an interminable 
wilderness or worn-out, gullied, piny old fields." 

A writer in a Richmond paper told the same thing in 
these words: 

"AA T retched highways, scarcely passable; noble, ma- 
jeetie streams either wholly neglected, or encumbered 
by ill-digested and expensive attempts at improvement; 
dangerous bridges, bady constructed by heavy county 
taxation, or owned by individuals who keep them in bad 
order; and oppressive toll, and that under laws which 
give them exclusive rights to do so forever: deserted 
fields covered with broom sedges and intersected by 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 225 

gullies; decayed, patched-up and worthless fences; half 
cultivated farms and plantations without adequate farm 
buildings and conveniences, or even comfortable quar- 
ters for laborers; miserable hovels scattered in every 
direction, and relieved but occasionally by the appear- 
ance of dwellings which promise comfort and independ- 
ence : a population restless, dissatisfied, in debt and de- 
pendent on other states for many of the necessities and 
comforts of life without the means to buy. These and 
many other degrading spectacles present themselves to 
our daily observance." 

Causes of the First Change. — The reasons why Vir- 
ginia did not keep up with the other states from 1790 
to 1830 were the following: 

(1) The people of several countries of Europe be- 
gan to raise tobacco for themselves and, therefore, did 
not buy as much of Virginia tobacco as before. This 
caused the price of tobacco to go down in Virginia, 
so that the Virginia planters did not get as much for 
what they raised. 

(2) The Virginia farmers did not take care of their 
land. Instead of fertilizing it every year, they tried 
to raise crops without improving it, and they did not 
know how to "rotate" the crops. The land thus became 
poorer, and less and less could be raised on it. 

(3) There were no good roads and means for travel. 
There were a few turnpikes, and the -Tames River had 
been dug out so thai batteaux could be used to transport 
freight, but these were in only a very small part of 
the state. The farmers had no way to bring their pro- 
duce to the towns and get it sold or shipped, except in 
good weather, and even then it was hard enough. In 
had weather and in winter, such roads as they had made 
for themselves could not be used at all. 



226 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

(4) The Congress of the United States made laws 
which taxed iron, glass. Leather, cotton, and woolen clotli. 
;iik1 many other manufactured articles which were 
brought from other countries. This meant that, if a 
merchant wanted to sell any of these kinds of goods 
which were made in England or Europe, he had to pay a 
heavy tax on all of them he imported. Of course, if he 
paid a heavy tax to the United States government, there 
would he no profit from selling the goods to people in 
this country unless he made them pay for it. So he 
would raise the price by as much as the tax cost him. 
Tt was thought that if the prices were thus made higher, 
people in this country would start manufacturing the 
same things that they had imported from other countries, 
since there would be a profit for them from the high 
prices they would get for the goods they manufactured. 
And that was what happened. Manufactures of the 
very goods which Congress taxed for being imported 
began to be started in northern states, and the northern 
states became prosperous. But in Virginia and other 
southern states the people did not start up any factories, 
because the negro slaves could not learn to work in the 
factories, and because the people who owned no slaves 
did not have enough money to build factories. So that 
the Virginia people did not become any more prosperous, 
but were poorer, because they had to pay a price for 
manufactured goods which was considerably higher than 
before the tax was laid. 

"Moss-Grown and Slipshod. "—The Virginians had 
become too well satisfied with their old way of living, 
and did not care to stir themselves and make any im- 
provements. Henry A. Wise, who was once a congress- 
man from Virginia and afterwards governor, said that 
the eastern part of Virginia was "old, moss-grown and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 227 

slip-shod." In a speech he made in the House of Repre- 
sentatives he said : 

" Tn many respects, sir. but in none so much as in 
relation to the improvements of commerce and the 
mechanic arts, are the southern people a half a century 
behind the times in which they live . . . They 
claim justly that Nature has done the most for them, 
and are content with what Nature has done for them, 
and are only discontented when they behold the art of 
others outstripping their friend Nature. They are only 
wrong, sii-. in not improving and assisting their own 
natural advantages and in wishing to prevent others 
from exerting their enterprise and wits to make up for 
their natural deficiencies, whilst they are unwilling to 
exert their own wits and enterprise at all." 



QUESTIONS. 

What two changes occurred in the industrial life of the people 

between 179(1 and I860? 

W'hai led the people in 17!>n to think Virginia had a brighl 

future ? 

What was the condition of things in 1 830 ? 

Tell of his great invention and its first trial. 

What did Henry A. Wise say was the matter witli Virginians'? 



THE SECOND CHANGE, 1 Sol-1860. 

About 1830 we come to the time when there was a 
second change, which was forward, by which Virginia 
in the thirty years from 1830 to 1861 became richer 
again and her people more industrious. 

This change for the better was (1) in the Virginia 
people, (2) on the farms, ('A) in manufactures, (4) in 
the number of banks. (5) in the means by which goods 
and people were transported. 



228 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Virginia People. — There were about 385,000 more 
people in Virginia in 1860 than there were in 1830, but 
the greatest part of this increase took place in the 
counties which are now West Virginia. A smaller in- 
crease was in the counties between Richmond and the 
top of the Alleghany mountains, but there were not 
many more people in the counties east of Richmond. 
This meant that people had gone further west and had 
there found new land to farm, which was more fertile 
than in the east. 

The Farms. — The people who went into the western 
part of the state did not have plantations like those in 
eastern Virginia, but farmed only so much land as they 
could do without slaves. Hence the average size of 
farms in 186(1 in Virginia was smaller than in 1830. 
The price of slaves had gone up to $1,400 and $2,000. be- 
cause there was more work to do, and because the cotton 
planters in states south of Virginia wanted them to 
raise cotton. There were fewer slaves in proportion to 
white people in 1860 than in 1830. 

The value of farms and the property of farmers was 
over twice as much, and there was produced on the 
farms, four times as much barley, three times as much 
buckwheat, twice as much corn, four times as much oats, 
twice as much rye, nearly twice as much wheat, and the 
farmers owned many more cattle. So that, while the 
number of people was only one-fourth as great, they 
raised on their farms over twice as much to eat and 
to sell. 

The farmers could have raised still more if they had 
been more careful to fertilize their land, for it would 
have been in a much better condition. Even now the 
farmers in Virginia are using land that their grand- 
fathers failed to take good care of, and that is why it 



SCHOOL HISrOEY OF VIRGINIA 229 

is so hard to farm in many parts of the state. Then, 
too, the farmers hefore the war were very slow in 
using new machinery. They felt that the old way was 
the host, and refused to try improved methods of plant- 
ing and fertilizing their crops. 

McCormick's Invention of the Reaper. — In 1831 the 
son of a Virginia farmer living in Rockbridge county 
made and tried out the first reaper. This young man 
was a blacksmith, Cyrus McCormick by name. He had 
worked for long weary months on his invention, and 
his neighbors were very curious. At last the day came 
when he said it was ready to cut wheat. He hitched 
four horses to it, and drove it with a great clatter into 
;i near-by wheat field. Dogs barked, horses shied, small 
hoys yelled, and the old farmers looked contemptuously 
a1 a machine that would "cut without hands." It cut 
the grain, nevertheless, but, because the farmer's field 
in which it was at work had been left so rocky and rough, 
it did not cut very smoothly. So the owner of the field 
made McCormick stop "rattling the heads off" his wheat. 
and one of the farm hands standing by called out, "It's 
a humbug!" Another farmer yelled, "Give me the old 
cradle yet, boys!" and the whole crowd gathered around 
and made fun of it. But there was one man, William 
Taylor, who knew that young Cyrus had something that 
was worth trying, and he told him to turn into his 
wheat field. Cyrus did so, and cut six acres in half a 
day — the first wheat that was ever cut by machinery 
in America. 

'Pile farmers were slow to see any good in the new way. 
and woidd not buy MeCormick's machines, although for 
fourteen years he lived among them and worked to im- 
prove his reapers. So in 184.1 he went west. There. 
wliei-c the people raised so much wheal on the prairies 



230 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

that they could not cut it with the old sickles and cradles 
and wanted the newest and best machinery, he was wel- 
comed, and in ten years, Cyrus McCormick, horn and 
raised on a little old farm in what was then called "the 
back woods" of Virginia, was known all over the United 
States and had made more than a million dollars out 
of his reapers. 

Tobacco. — About twice as much tobacco was shipped 
to foreign countries from Virginia in 1860 as in 1830, 
and nearly three times as much money was received by 
Virginia planters, since there were higher prices offered 
for it. 

Manufactures. — Nearly twice as many factories 
were in operation when the Civil War broke out as 
there were in 1830. Even in the last ten years the value 
of manufactured articles was doubled, and the wages 
paid to factory workers were twice as high in 1860 as 
they were in 1850. In 1860 these factories used over 
$30,000,000 worth of material, which they made up into 
over $50,000,000 worth of goods, paying to the workers 
$8,500,000 in wages. About $29,000,000 had been spent 
in building factories and putting in machinery up to 
1860, and the factories, counting their land and their 
buildings, were worth over $400,000,000. The tobacco 
factories shipped to foreign countries nearly six times as 
much leaf and other manufactured tobacco in I860 as 
they did in 1830. 

Richmond had become quite famous for its flour mills. 
The flour which was made there was so fine that they 
could send "middlings" to northern seaports and ship 
it to foreign countries as "superfine," as the state gov- 
nernment did not allow anything but the best to be 
sent out from Virginia ports. The Richmond merchants 
bought ships to carry flour to other parts of the world. 



SCHOOL HISTORY <>F VIRGINIA 



particularly South America, and the ships would bring 
back coffee, so that Richmond came to be one of the 
largest places for selling coffee in the country. In 1857 
Governor Henry A. AVise tried to get steam ships to 
carry goods between Virginia and France, and by 1861 
the Virginia govern- 
ment had bargained 
with a French com- 
pany to do this, but 
the plan was stopped 
by the war. 

Lynchburg had be- 
come a great tobacco 
manufacturing town. 
The farmers brought 
tobacco to the Lynch- 
burg warehouses, and 
there h was bought 
by the manufacturers, 
who afterwards ship- 
ped it down the 
• lames River. 

Causes of the Sec- hfney \ wisi 

ond Change. We 

have now seen thai a second change look place in the 
people of Virginia and their farms, manufactures, hanks, 
and means of transportation, which made their ways of 
Living and of making a living a greal deal better in 1860 
than in 1830. Now why was this true? 

There were three causes of this second change, winch 
we can put down in the following manner: 

First : The people all over the United Stales were a 
great deal more prosperous. Even though Virginians 
had become much heller off. there were other Americans 




232 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

still more so in other states, and the change in the whole 
Union had also helped Virginia. 

Second : The internal improvements in Virginia, about 
which we have jnst studied, afforded ways of transport- 
ing products, so that people in any part of the state 
could buy from and sell to other parts, not only of Vir- 
ginia, but of the whole eastern part of the Union. This 
meant that more products of all kinds were wanted and 
brought higher prices, and hence more goods were pro- 
duced on farms and in factories and sold and bought, 
so that farmers, manufacturers and merchants all did a 
better business. 

Third: The Virginia people had "waked up" and 
become more industrious. This new energy was seen in 
the cities of the eastern part and in the towns and 
country sections of the western part. Virginians had 
stopped being only discontented, as Henry A. Wise had 
once said of them. They saw that the things they 
wanted would not come to them, but that they had to 
work harder and be more eager to seek every oppor- 
tunity to improve their farms, factories, and business. 

QUESTIONS. 

1. In what ways was there a change for the better in Virginia 
between 1830 and 186] .' 

2. Tell about the increase in population during these years. 
Give some account of farms and farming in the western part 
of Virginia. 

4. Tell of McCormick's invention of the reaper. In what year 
was this ? 

5. Where was McCormick raised? Why did he leave Virginia? 
(i. What was the increase in tobacco sales and manufactures 

from 1830 to 1860? 
7. For what had Richmond become famous? Lynchburg? 
S. What were some of the causes of the change of which we 

have spoken? 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIBGIN1A 233 

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 

The New Transportation Routes. — From 1784 to 1860 
one of the most important things the people of Virginia 
did was to build roads and bridges, deepen rivers and 
dig canals, and construct railroads. These were called 
"internal improvements," and they were made for the 
purpose of connecting the towns and country sections 
with several main lines of transportation, so that pro- 
ducts could be brought into and out of all parts of the 
state. While many of these improvements were made 
to connect the towns on the rivers and in the central 
ami western portion of the state with each other, the 
largest improvements were made with the idea of con- 
necting the internal part of Virginia with the sea coast 
and of making a transportation route through the state 
which could be used by the people in the states west of 
Virginiji as a means of carrying on trade with Norfolk 
and Alexandria near the sea coast. 

In all, 122 turnpikes were made, 9 plank roads, a large 
number of bridges. 12 canals and 20 railroads. About 
$70,000,000 was spenl on these improvements, $60,000,000 
of which was for canals and railroads. Over one-half 
of the amount was furnished by the state government 
from money paid in by taxes from the people and from 
money borrowed in Virginia, in the North and in Eng- 
land. The state governmenl owed about $30,000,000 to 
its bond holders in I860.* 

*By the beginning of the <'i\il War the Virginia government had 
spent approximately the following sums for internal improvements of 
various kinds: 

For turnpikes $ 5,100, 

For plank roads 410, 

For bridges 138, 

For canals and other waterways 10,279.000 

For railroads 20,170,000 



234 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

As the internal improvements were of so great im- 
portance and interest to the people of Virginia during 
the period between the Revolutionary and the Civil 
Wars, we will study their story in more detail. 

RIVER IMPROVEMENTS. 

Washington's Suggestion. — This idea of '-internal 
improvements" was not a new one. George Washington, 
as we have already seen, when he was yet a young sur- 
veyor, had "blazed" a trail from the Potomac River to 
the Monongahela River which was afterwards the road 
over which Braddock and his British soldiers marched to 
defeat, and was among the first to suggest internal im- 
provements. In later years Washington was very anx- 
ious that roads he made from the eastern part of the 
state to the new settlements in the western part. "Smooth 
the road and make the way easy for them (the western 
settlers)," he wrote to Governor Harrison, "and see 
what an influx of articles will he poured upon us; how 
amazingly our exports will be increased by them, and 
how amply we shall be compensated for any trouble we 
may encounter to effect it," and he did everything he 
could to start the making of the way easy by improv- 
ing the James and Potomac Rivers. 

The Improvement of the James River. — In 17S4 the 
General Assembly chartered (gave its consent to) a stock 
company to deepen the James River from Richmond up 
as far as Botetourt county. This company was called 
the James River Company, and the state government 
bought :!()() shares of its stock in order to get it started. * 
By 1816 the whole distance had been improved, and soon 

tOf this the Assembly save 100 shares to Washington as a vay of 
thanking him for his meat services in the Revolutionary war. but he 
would not take it for himself. He gave it to Liberty Hall Academy in 
Rockbridge county, which changed its name to the Washington Academy 
and afterwards became the Washington & Lee University. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 235 

large numbers of batteaux began to be seen on the river. 

These batteaux were flat boats, forty or fifty feet 
loup', two feet deep, and from four to five feet wide. 
Three slaves managed each one, a slave on eaeb side to 
"pole." and one at the rear end to steer. They took a 
week to go from Lynchburg to Richmond and ten days 
to return, carrying tobacco, wheat, corn, potatoes, hides, 
and other farm and forest products down the river, and 
bringing back, salt, coffee, sugar, molasses, and whiskey. 
In 1829 there were about 500 of them, and they carried 
every year from Lynchburg from 15,000 to 18,000 hogs- 
heads of tobacco and from 25,000 to :!0,000 barrels of 
Hour. The negro slaves had a gay time running the 
batteaux. They would sing and shout as they poled, and 
at night would tie up at the bank and make merry over 
their cornhread and bacon, and with their banjos. 

New Plans for Navigating the James River. — But 
these batteaux could not carry passengers, nor was the 
river improvement what the people needed. Whenever 
a hard rain would come, the high water would wash 
sand and stones into the places which had been cleaned 
out. so that the bed of the river had to he worked over 
again and again. Very soon, then, several plans to remedy 
this were suggested. The one which was finally agreed 
upon was: (1) to dig a canal along the river bank where 
the currenl was swift, and to make dams across the 
river to gel deepei water in the other parts of the river 
as far as Covington; (2) to make a road from Covington 
to the Greal Falls of the Kanawha River; and (3) to 
deepen the Kanawha River to the Ohio. In this way 
it was thought a route could he made from the Chesa- 
peake Bay to the Mississippi River over which the trade 
of the west would he carried. 



236 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

A disagreement arose, however, over how this was to 
be done. The people who lived in and west of Richmond 
wanted a new and larger stock company to do it, be- 




>AT AND LOCK, JAMES RIVER AND 
KANAWHA CANAL* 

cause they wanted to own most of the stock and manage 
it. The people east of Richmond wanted the state gov- 

*Upper picture: Packet boat on James River and Kanawha Canal. 
In iln- distance is one of the covered wooden bridges, such as were built 
in ante-bellum days. 

Lower picture: A lock on the Lmies River and Kanawha Canal as 
it linked when in use. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 237 

eminent to do it. because they controlled the state gov- 
ernment and were afraid that a company would try and 
make too costly a canal. Finally the eastern people 
had their way in the General Assembly, but they were 
very sorry of it afterwards. For, after the state govern- 
ment took charge of the James River Company in 1820. 
when the engineers who surveyed the rivers and the road 
said it would cost $5,750,000, they were very anxious to 
get rid of the business on any terms. For ten years 
almost nothing was done, and the river began to get 
choked np with sand, rocks, and logs. 

The James River and Kanawha Company. — In 1824, 
Claudius Crozet, a Frenchman who had been a soldier 
under Napoleon and who was a skilled and distinguished 
engineer, was appointed Chief Engineer of the state. 
In 1826 and 1828 he made surveys of the James River 
and urged that, instead of a canal, the river ought to be 
made navigable by locks and dams. In 1830 he recom- 
mended that, instead of trying to open up the James 
River beyond Lynchburg to the west, a railroad ought 
to be built. But Joseph C. Cabell, who was a leader of 
those in favor of improving the river, opposed Crozet *s 
ideas and insisted on the canal plan. Cabell had more 
influence with Hie General Assembly and his plan was 
adopted. A new company, the James River and Kana- 
wha Company, was chartered in 1832 to make a water 
route all the way to the Ohio. This was to be done by 
digging a canal and building dams along the river from 
Richmond to Covington, by a canal from Covington to 
the Great Falls of the Kanawha River and by deepening 
the Kanawha River from the Great Kails to where Hie 
Kanawha flowed into the Ohio. 

It was found impossible to get the people of the state 
to buy shares of stock in the new company, partly lie- 



-:;s SCHOOL H1ST0UY OF VIRGINIA 

cause many believed that Crozet's idea of a railroad was 
better than the canal plan. The people of Lynchburg 
refused to buy stock, because they wanted a railroad. 
Then Chief Justice John Marshall. Cabell, and others 
persuaded the General Assembly and the people of Rich- 
mond to buy enough stock to start building the canal, 
and work was begun in 1886. It was never finished 
any further than Buchanan, although a branch canal 
to Lexington was dug. One reason for not completing 
it was the unwillingness of the people along the -lames 
River to spend their money for a canal when railroads 
were being built successfully in other parts of the state, 
and a railroad instead of a canal was becoming more 
popular. Another reason was that the people in the 
eastern part of the state were unwilling to let the General 
Assembly buy any more stock in the James River and 
Kanawha Company, and allowed it only to borrow money 
from the state government and private persons. This 
meant that the company had to pay so much interest 
every year on the money it borrowed, that what money 
it did get from passengers and shippers of freight was 
used up in expenses of operation and in interest. 

Packet Boats. — After the canal was dug, packet boats 
were used instead of batteaux. The "packets" were 
1 udled by horses who were driven along the bank on the 
•'tow paths. " Some of the packets were very well fitted 
up. having places for passengers to sleep and eat. Tn 
the stern of the boat would be the captain's room or 
•cabin." Then in front of that would be the kitchen: 
then the bar where the men passengers could get their 
liquors; then the dining room; and the "bow." or 
front end, would be a long room called the saloon The 
saloon was somewhat like the inside of a modern pull- 
man car. the passengers sitting in it during the day 



SCHOOL HISTOID OF VIRGINIA 



239 



and sleeping in berths let down at night. The boats 
went as fast as six to ten miles an hour, but even that 
made a trip from Lexington or Lynchburg to Richmond 
quite long, and the passengers would have a gay time 
together to while away the tedious hours. Other packets 
carried no passengers, but were for freight. 

The company never did make any profits, and by 1860 




'MARSHALL, PACKET BOAT FORMERLY USED ON JAMES 
RIVER AND KANAWHA CAN \l. 

it owed so much to the state that it could not build the 
canal any further. Finally the Assembly, which now 
had as many representatives from the western part of 
the state as from the east, decided to give it all of the 
money that had been loaned, and to make another efforl 
to finish the canal. -Inst a! this time a company of 
French engineers offered to complete it and to run a 
line of steamers from France to Norfolk, so that the 



*The ruins of the "Marshall," packel boat used on tin' James River 
Hid Kanawha Canal. The body of General "Stonewall" Jackson was 
•onveyed on the "Marshall" to Lexington in 



240 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

produce of the western states could be carried straight 
through Virginia to foreign countries. Thus the thing 
which the people had hoped for seventy years back was 
about to be done; but the war came, and the plan fell 
through. 

Other Waterway Improvements. — Besides the im- 
provement of the James River, companies were char- 
tered before 1830 to make navigable the Upper Appo- 
mattox. Lower Appomattox, Potomac. Roanoke, and Rap- 
pahannock Rivers and to dig the Dismal Swamp Canal. 
After 1830 the improvement of the Guyandotte, Tug 
Fork of the Big Sandy, and the Coal Rivers, all of which 
are tributaries of the Kanawha, and the Rivana. Willis, 
and the North Rivers, which are tributaries of the James, 
were undertaken by various companies in the hope that 
some day the James River and Kanawha water route 
might be completed. Tn addition to these, the state 
government helped to open up the Roanoke River and 
some of its tributaries, to dig the Albemarle and Chesa- 
peake and the Kemp vi lie canals, to dig the Alexandria 
and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canals, and to further 
improve the Rappahannock River. The State of Mary- 
land and the United States government gave money to 
the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Virginia giving over a 
million dollars. The United States government also 
helped Virginia to dig the Alexandria Canal. The old 
Potomac Company became part of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio Canal Company. The State of Virginia authorized 
the spending of nearly $10,000,000 on waterways after 
1830. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 24] 

QUESTIONS. 

1. What were "internal improvements" and what were they 
fori 

2. How nianv turnpikes, plank roads, canals, and railroads were 
built before the Civil War.' What did they cost? 

3. What was Washington's part in internal improvements? 

4. Tell of the first improvement of the James River? What were 
' ' batteaux? ' ' 

5. What disagreement arose over new plans for improving the 
.lamrs River? 

(5. What were Crozet's plans? What were Cabell's plans.' 
7. Tell of the building of the James River and Kanawha Canal. 
s. Describe the packet boat. 

!>. What waterway improvements were made besides the .lames 
River canal? 



HIGHWAYS ANT) RAILROADS. 

Highways and Bridges. — Several hundred miles of 
turnpikes and plank roads, with numerous bridges, were 
constructed between 1802 and 1860 by the state. Two- 
thirds of them were made between 1845 and 1860 after 
the people in the central and western parts of the state 
secured control of the General Assembly, as we shall see 
later on, and most of them were built in the western 
section of the state. The Assembly appropriated $3,500, 
000, about half of the total amount of the money needed, 
besides building- "state roads" at a cost of $1,500,000.* 

There were 112 turnpike roads before the Civil War, 
but the companies never made much money out of 
the l-oads. as only eleven paid dividends in 1860, and 
$2,000,000 more was necessary to finish them. The reasons 
why they never paid well were: (1) the turnpikes were 
often made in mountainous sections, where few people 
passed ami paid tolls, and where it was very expensive 
to grade the roads properly; (2) turnpikes, bridges, and 
plank roads were often mad.- for the good of a very few 
persons in a community, who wanted the state to help 



"State roads" were buill and managed by tli" state alone and not by 

Mn.-k ii >ni i>;i u i.-v ;iv were turnpikes and bridges. 



L'4L' SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

pay for roads that they should have made themselves, 
and who charged very little toll, as they were the only 
ones who used them. 

There were several long and well made roads, however, 




OLD LOCOMOTIVE, USED ON 



O. RAILROAD 



over which a great many people passed and carried their 
farm products to the towns where the canal or the rail- 
road would ship it to other larger cities. 

Railroads. — As soon as people knew that railroads 
could actually be used, that means of transportation was 
the one in which they took the most interest, because 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 243 

passengers and goods could be carried a great deal faster 
and cheaper than by stage coaches, wagons and packet 
boats. In 1829 the first locomotive was brought from 
England, but in 1830 Peter Cooper built in this country 
one for the Baltimore and Ohio. The next year several 
trips were made behind a steam locomotive on a railroad 
from Charleston to Hamburg in South Carolina. 

The first railroads that were built had stone instead 
of wooden ties. The rails were of wood covered by thin 
strips of iron, which often curled up and caused acci- 
dents. The cars at first were like the old fashioned 
stage coaches, with grooved wheels, but very soon larger 
cars, with a platform on each end and an aisle through 
the middle, were used. The first trains went about 15 
miles an hour, and charged 3 and 4 cents a mile for 
tickets. 

Virginia was not behind other states in railroad build- 
ing. In 1830 the Assembly chartered the first company 
to build a railroad from Petersburg to Weldon, N. C. 
Between 1830 and the beginning of the Civil "War in 
1861, about 1,970 miles of railroads were built or were 
under construction. Of this about 370 miles were under- 
taken in the six years from 1830 to 1836, and about 1600 
from 1846 to 1860. 

Railroads in Eastern Virginia. — During the years 1830 
to 1836 seven railroad companies were chartered. Of 
these, five were to build railroads connecting Richmond 
and Petersburg with the country around. Their names 
and the years of their charters were: 

1 — 1830 — Petersburg railroad to conned Petersburg and 
Weldon, X. C. 

2 — 1834 — Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, to 
connect Richmond with Fredericksburg and the country north of 
that town. 

3 — 1836 — The Louisa Railroad, to connect Richmond with the 
country northwest as far as Albemarle county. This railroad 



244 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

afterwards became part of the Virginia Central Railroad, which 

itself is now a part of the main line of the Chesapeake and 
Ohio. 

4— 1S36— The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad, to connect 
those two cities. 

Besides these, the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad, which was 
changed in 1846 to the Seaboard and Roanoke, was chartered in 
1832 to connect Portsmouth with Weldon, N. C. All of these 
were either in the eastern part of the state or were built to con- 
nect the eastern part with the middle section. Only one railroad 
was in the middle section. That was the Winchester and Potomac, 
chartered in 1831, to connect the valley of Virginia, starting at 
Winchester, with the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry. 

Railroads in Central Virginia. — Sixteen railroad com- 
panies were chartered between 1845 and 1860. From 
1845 to 1850 nearly all of the companies that were started 
undertook to build roads through the middle part of the 
state. They were five in all, as follows : 

1—1846 — The Routhside Railroad to connect Lynchburg with 
Petersburg. 

2 — 1847 — The Richmond and Danville Railroad to connect those 
two towns. 

3 — 1848 — The Orange and Alexandria Railroad (afterwards 
the Orange, Alexandria, and Manassas), to connect Alexandria 
with Lynchburg. 

4 — 1849 — The Blue Ridge Railroad, to connect the end of the 
Louisa Railroad with Covington. Both of these railroads were 
combined in the same year to make the Virginia Central Railroad. 

5 — 1850 — The Manassas Gap Railroad, to connect the Richmond, 
Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad with the valley. It after- 
wards became a part of the Orange and Alexandria. 

Railroads in Western Virginia. — Between 1848 and 
1860, five companies were chartered to build railroads 
from middle Virginia to her western boundaries in order 
to connect with the railroads in the states west. They 
were : 

1 — 1848 — The Virginia and Tennessee, from Lynchburg to 
Bristol. This is the railroad the people of Lynchburg wanted 
instead of a canal as early as 1829, but the members of the Assembly 
from the country about Richmond and eastern Virginia would not 
vote for chartering it. 

2— 1853— The Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire Railroad, to 
connect Alexandria with the country to the northwest as far as 
Loudon county. The company also planned to build it as far as 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Hampshire county in order to connect with the coal mines and 
with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but it was never completed 
any further than Leesburg before 1861. 

3 The Northwestern Virginia Railroad, which was to 

run through the northwestern part of the state. This had only 
been begun when the war broke out. 

4-— 1853 — The Covington and Ohio Railroad, to connect Cov- 
ington with the Ohio. This road was only partly built before 
1861, and the State furnished all of the money. It was really 
only an extension of the Virginia Central, and it is now a part 
of the Chesapeake and Ohio. It was intended to be a rival road 
with the Baltimore and Ohio for the western trade. 

5 — 1853 — The Virginia and Kentucky Railroad, to connect south- 
west Virginia with one of the Kentucky railroads .at Bristol. 
It had jest been commenced before the war began. 

Other Railroads Built After 1850.— Tn the southern 

part of the state two railroad companies were chartered 

after 1850 to build the following: 

I — 1851 — The Roanoke Valley Railroad, which was not com- 
pleted before the < 'ivil War. 

2— 1862— The Piedmont Railroad, to connect the Richmond ami 
Danville with Greensboro, N. 0. 

In the eastern part of the state, three companies were 
chartered to build railroads between 1846 and 1860. 
These railroads were: 

1 — 1851— The Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, to conned 
those two cities, and was nearly completed in 1860. 

2 — 1853 — The Richmond and York River to run from Richmond 
clown the peninsula which lies between the .lames and York 
Rivers. This was about two-thirds finished when the war began. 

3—1853 — The Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad, to 
connect those two towns and afterwards to be built as Ear as 
Charlottesville, This road was never finished, only twenty-four and 
a half miles having been graded in 1861. 

Where the Money Came from to Build Railroads. 

The state government spent a great deal of money on 
these roads. By 1860 nearly $18,650,000 had been spent, 
and nearly $28,000,000 more was needed to finish all 
of them. Of this the state expected to spend about 
$11,375,000 on the Covington and Ohio Railroad, and 
$10,000,000 on the others. The rest of the whole amount 
was to be furnished by selling stock and borrowing 
money from private persons. 



246 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Of course the people did not pay enough taxes to the 
state to furnish all of the money that was spent on 
internal improvements in the years from 1784 to 1860. 
The state government obtained most of it from people 
in Virginia and some from people outside of the state 
and from England by selling their printed promises to 
pay. which are called "bonds," and paying interest on 
all they borrowed in this way. By 1861 over $31,000,000 
had been borrowed in this way for building canals, high- 
ways, bridges, and railroads, and every year the state 
had to pay over $1,500,000 as interest, besides saving a 
little each year to pay off these bonds at the time it 
promised to do. What became of this debt during the 
Civil War and after, is another part of our story, and 
will be told later on. 



QUESTIONS. 

When were most of the turnpikes built? How much did the 

state government spend on them? 

Why did most of the turnpikes fail to pay for their repairs 

and upkeep? 

Are there any old turnpikes in your county? Find out what 

points they connected and when they were built? 

When and where was the first railroad built in Virginia ? 

Now many miles of railroads were built and being- built 

when the <'ivi] War came? 

Which of the old railroads went through your county or city? 

Where did the monev come from to build the railroads before 

the Civil War? 



SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA. 

The Feeling Against Slavery. — Although the belief 
that slavery was wrong became stronger and stronger 
in Virginia from 1790 to 1860, no way to free the slaves 
without doing harm to them and injustice to the owners 
could be found. In 1788 the Virginia legislature passed 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 247 

a law forbidding the bringing in of any new slaves, 
and protests against slavery were made before that time, 
as we bave alread}' seen. The people west of the Blue 
Ridge were strongly opposed to slavery, as were many 
in the section between Richmond and the Blue Ridge. 
Even in eastern Virginia were to be found a great 
many slave owners who earnestly wished that there could 
be found some way to put an end to it. There were two 
difficulties in the way : one was that the negro slaves 
were not able to take care of themselves should they be 
set free suddenly, and the other was that their owners 
bad spent a great deal of their money for slaves in order 
to operate their plantations, and they could not afford 
to set free the slaves unless they could get back what 
had been spent in buying them. Later on there was a 
third difficulty from another direction. In the north 
people opposed to slavery became so fanatical and so 
bitter that they angered the southern people by what 
they said, and made it all the harder for southern peo- 
ple to find some fair and right way of freeing the slaves. 
These northern fanatics were called Abolitionists because 
they wanted to abolish slavery without any thought 
of the consequences to the slaves or to the slave owners. 
\n the western part of Virginia there were a number of 
Abolitionists among those who were opposed to slavery. 
Three Ways of Settling the Question. — Many sugges- 
tions were made as to the best way of getting rid of 
slavery, but three ways were actually used. One was 
for the owners to gradually set free their slaves. From 
1800 to 1860 not less than 100,000 slaves were thus set 
free. A second way was to pay wages to the slaves and 
allow them to buy their own freedom from their masters, 
and a large number were thus Creed. A third way was 
to allow free slaves to go to Africa. A tract of land was 



248 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

secured in Africa and was called Liberia, and many 
former slaves went back to the land of their ancestors. 
James Monroe was a great believer in this plan, and the 
capital of Liberia, Monrovia, was named in his honor. 




LAVE QUARTER 



The "African Colonization Society" was formed in Vir- 
ginia to encourage negroes to go to the African Colony, 
and the Virginia government for many years appropri- 
ated money to help this movement. 

Had not the Abolitionists angered many of the slave 
owners by their false accusations and their interference 
and aided in stirring the slaves to violence, and had not 
the Civil War put an end to their plans, Virginians 
would have gradually set free all of the slaves and put 
an end to slavery without so great harm to both the 
negroes and their white masters. For very few Y'\r- 



SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 249 

ginians believed that slavery was right, and the history 
of the times before the Civil War shows that they were 
anxious to discover some fair method of getting rid 
of it. 

Slave Insurrections. — Two insurrections by slaves took 
place, one in 1800 and another in 1831. Besides these, 
a number of others were threatened. They were caused 
partly by fanatical and superstitious negroes and partly 
by the rash utterances of the more fanatical Abolitionists. 

The first insurrection was known as "Gabriel's In- 
surrection." A half crazy negro named Gabriel went 
among the slaves living in the territory around Rich- 
mond and excited them by his superstitious speeches to 
join in a plan first to murder their masters and their 
masters' families and then to march to Richmond, seize 
the public arms and ammunition, kill the white people 
and take possession of the city. Governor James Mon- 
roe heard of the plot, and warning was given. On the 
night when Gabriel and his followers had planned to 
carry out their murderous plot, there was a terrific 
storm. The scheme failed because of the warnings and 
the storm, and Gabriel and the other ring leaders were 
caught and executed. 

No more trouble of this nature occurred until 1829. 
In July a number of insurrections were reported to have 
been planned in Gloucester. Hanover, Mathews, and 
Isle of Wight counties. The militia was called out 
several times and many negroes were arrested. In some 
way the rumor was spread among tin- negroes that a 
convention had been called to set them free and that 
their emancipation would be proclaimed in August. 

The Southampton Insurrection, 1831. — By far the 
worst trouble from superstitious negroes occurred two 
years later in Southampton county. Nat Turner, a negro 



250 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

who was a fanatic on the subject of religion, was looked 
upon by the other negroes of the vicinity as a prophet. He 
had gained a great influence over many of them by ap- 
pealing to their superstitions, and he now urged them 
to join with him in an uprising. There was an eclipse 
of the sun at about that time, and he told them that it 
was a sign in their favor. On the night of August 21, 
1831, Turner and a band of other negroes started their 
fearful raid. First they murdered Turner's master and 
his whole family and then they went from plantation 
to plantation, getting many of the slaves to join them, 
killing the unsuspecting white people and taking all 
the arms and ammunition they could find. Sixty-one 
people, many of them women and children, were mur- 
dered in this way. The excited and crazed mob then 
planned to attack Jerusalem, the county seat of South- 
ampton county, but on their way they were attacked by 
a small body of white men, poorly armed with shotguns, 
and the mob scattered. Later some of them gathered 
again to resume their rampage, but by that time Gov- 
ernor Floyd had received news of the insurrection, and 
militia and soldiers from the United States cruiser 
Natchez, which happened to be in Hampton Roads, 
were sent to stop the rebellion. The negroes fled in 
all directions. Turner and forty others were caught, 
and after a trial he and thirteen negroes were executed. 
When Turner and his mob were going from house to 
house on their horrible raid, many slaves refused to 
join him. A number of slave owners armed their slaves 
to defend their homes, and in several instances white 
women were able to escape only th rough the help of the 
faithful slaves. At one plantation the slaves told Nat 
Turner thai they were ready to "lose every drop of 
blood in defense of their master and his family." 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 251 

The Slavery Question Again Discussed. — In the con- 
vention which met to revise the state contitution in 1829 
and 1830, slavery was one of the most important ques- 
tions. Many of the western Virginians wanted to abolish 
it, but no agreement was reached. After the Southamp- 
ton Insurrection, it was again discussed and was the 
topic most debated when the legislature met in the fall 
of 1831. Nat Turner's outrages, and rumors that other 
insurrections were being planned, caused much excite- 
ment. The feeling was very evenly divided on the ques- 
tion of freeing the slaves the west being for it and the 
east being opposed. When the vote on it was taken, 
emancipation was lost by only one vote. 

The excitement died clown, however, and no more 
trouble occurred. The slavery question became of less 
interest until 1847, when Dr. Henry Ruffner, President 
of Washington College, wrote a pamphlet asking the 
legislature to prohibit slavery in the western part of the 
state. He said that the western Virginians were not in 
sympathy with the radical Abolitionists of the north, 
because they wanted gradual emancipation, and that 
they did not desire to interfere with the slaves in east- 
ern Virginia. This pamphlet caused a greal deal of 
discussion again, but nothing was done. Several years 
later, in December, 1856, some reports were made to the 
governor that slave insurrections were being planned 
in Fauquier, King and Queen, Culpeper, and Rappa- 
hannock counties and in the towns of Lynchburg, Peters- 
burg, and (Tordonsville. Arms were sent to these places, 
but no trouble occurred. Tbese minors were thought to 
have been the result of the Abolitionists' agitation. 

How Slaves Were Treated. — While nearly everybody 
now believes that it is wrong to consider any people as 
property in the same sense thai cows, horses, or build- 



252 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ings are property, yet it must be remembered that the 
owning of the ignorant and helpless negroes by kind 
white masters was probably the best thing for the negroes 
themselves at that time. Nearly all of them were well 
cared for, housed and fed and treated with kindness and 
consideration. Only a few of them were capable of 
taking care of themselves, especially under the condi- 
tions that existed in the ante-bellum days. Coming 
from Africa they were civilized more quickly by being 
in and around the homes of cultivated people than could 
have been done in any other way in those days. 

There were some cruel and inconsiderate masters, of 
course; but they were exceptions. The worst feature of 
slavery was the buying and selling of slaves at auction, 
when negro families would frequently be separated' and 
the slaves would have to serve new masters whom they 
did not know. But as a general rule the slaves were 
happy and contented and were faithful to their owners. 
Even after they were set free by the Emancipation 
Proclamation of President Lincoln during the Civil War, 
many of them refused to leave their masters and con- 
tinued to serve them without wages. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. In what ways was the feeling against slavery shown in Vir- 
ginia 1 ? 

2. What three ways of yetting rid of slavery were used in 
Virginia? 

'■\. What effect did the Abolitionists have on the slavery question 

in Virginia .' 
4. Tell of Gabriel's Insurrection. 
•">. Tell of the Southampton Insurrection. 

6. How did the western Virginians feel about slavery? What 
proposal did Dr. Henry Ruffner make.' 

7. How were slaves treated in Virginia? Tn what way were the 
negroes benefited by having white masters? What was wrong 
in slavery? 



SCHOOL EISTOEY OF VIMGIN14 253 

EDUCATION. 

There were no public schools in Virginia, such as we 
have now, until after the Civil War. The white children 
from 1789 until 1860 were educated in private schools 
in town, and in "old field schools" in the country, in 
academies, and at their homes by family tutors. For 
the children of white people unable to pay tuition in any 
of these schools, there was charity or "public" schools 
established and supported by the state government. The 
children of negro slaves had no means of education 
except what they were taught by their masters and 
mistresses. 

For the higher education of young men there were the 
University of Virginia. William and Mary College, Wash- 
ington College. Randolph-Macon College, Emory and 
Henry College, and Bethany College (in that part of 
the state now West Virginia). Young women in those 
days were not sent to college as they are now, but after 
they finished the private and "old field" schools and 
academies, or after they had been taught at home by 
governesses or tutors, sometimes they were sent to girls' 
seminaries in the larger towns in Virginia and in Balti- 
more and Philadelphia. 

Jefferson's Ideas About Education. — Thomas Jeffer- 
son believed that all white children should be given the 

chance to b lucated. As early as 177!) he proposed 

a state system of common schools, academies, and central 
college. His plan then was to have (1) "roniiimn" 
elementary schools (that is. schools common to all) in 
every county for the free training of all children of 
free parents in reading, writing, and arithmetic; (2) 
"Latin Grammar Schools" or classical schools, one for 
every three, four, or five counties, where Latin. Greek. 



254 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIFGINIA 

English, Geography, and higher Arithmetic should be 
taught; (3) William and Mary College as the Central 
State College to which all boys completing the work in 
the classical schools could go. 

This proposal failed to be adopted by the General 
Assembly, because William and Mary being under Epis- 
copalian influence at that time, the dissenters opposed 
making it the Central College or University. But Jeffer- 
son persisted in urging public education, and in 1796 
the General Assembly did pass a bill establishing pri- 
mary schools. No schools were started, however, because 
the plan did not provide for any money from the state ; 
the money for the schools was to be raised by any county 
which desired to have schools of this sort. As all of the 
people who could afford to pay tuition were already 
sending their children to private schools of one kind or 
another, they did not favor taxing themselves to pay 
the cost of educating other people's children. 

Jefferson did not abandon his ideas because of these 
failures. In spite of his interest in other state and 
national affairs, he continued to think about and plan 
and work for public education. "A system of general in- 
struction," he once said, "which shall reach every 
description of our citizens, from the richest to the poor- 
est, as it was the earliest, so will it be the latest, of all 
public concerns in which I shall permit myself to take 
an interest." Although in his old age he succeeded in 
founding the University of Virginia as the last great 
thing he accomplished, he always regarded of most im- 
portance the education of all the people rather than 
that of the few. And while he never lived to see a 
system of public education in his state, he hoped and ex- 
peeted that the University of Virginia should be the 
capstone of such a system and that its establishment 
would help in establishing the lower schools. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 255 

Charity or "Public" Schools. — After Jefferson's 
plans of 1779 and 1796 had failed to establish a public- 
school system, he had a new ally. This was Joseph 
Carrington Cabell,* who became a member of the House 
of Delegates in 1809, and from 1811 to 1829 was a mem- 
ber of the state senate, and who carried out many of 
Jefferson's ideas about education and government while 
Jefferson himself was Ambassador and President and 
later when Jefferson had retired from public office. In 
1810, aided by Jefferson's influence, Cabell had a law 
passed which provided for at least some money for pub- 
lic education. The lack of funds, as we have seen, was 
the cause of the failure of Jefferson's plan of 1796, and 
this law said that all money coming into the state treas- 
ury from fines, forfeitures and certain other sources 
should be set aside to provide schools for the poor 
children in every county. The money thus set aside was 
called the "Literary Fund."t In 1816 the money loaned 
by Virginia to the United States government in 1812 to 
help carry on the war with Great Britain was repaid 
to Virginia, and the General Assembly added this money, 
amounting to over $1 ,200.000, to the Literary Fund. Be- 
ginning in 1818 $45,000 each year was paid out of the 
interest on this fund for schools. Later on the amount 
increased ;is more lilies came in. 

Only the children of poor white people could get the 
beneiit of this money. In 1825, for instance, 10,226 
children wenl to these schools; in 1851. 31,486 were sent. 
and in 1859, 54, 2:12 were sent, the money coming annu- 
ally from the fund for the schools being about $160,000. 



See appendix A. 
iThr law itself was written by James Barbour, then ;i member of the 
House of Delegates and afterwards governor, but it was passed 1 > \ tin' 
Assembly through the influence of Cabell and Jefferson. The Literary Fund 

still r\iMs and furnishes lent of the money for tin- public schools in 
Virginia today. 



256 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The schools were charity schools and wrongly called 
"public" schools. They were open only about three 
months in the year, and nothing but reading, writing, 
and arithmetic were taught. Especially in the eastern 
section of Virginia it was considered a disgrace to be so 
poor as to have to go to the "public" schools, and long 
after they had ceased to be charity schools and had 
become schools for all classes, rich and poor alike, and 
good enough for the richest as well as the poorest boy and 
girl, the "public" school was looked down upon in some 
parts of Virginia because the old idea of charity school 
still stuck. The people of Virginia have learned better 
now and have to come to believe in Jefferson's ideas 
about public education. There is no disgrace in going to 
a public school, except wdien the people themselves do not 
favor giving enough money to have good schools, con- 
venient and comfortable buildings and pretty grounds 
such as their children ought to have. 

Western Virginians Demand Schools. — The people 
in the western part of the state did not look upon the 
"public" schools in the same way as did the people in 
the eastern section, partly because there were so few 
private schools, and partly because the people were more 
democratic. Many of their children went to the charity 
schools along with the children of the poorest parents. 
The western Virginians often urged that more money 
should be appropriated by the state for the public schools, 
and tlic question of education became more and more dis- 
cussed. 

In 1838 Governor Campbell, who was himself a resi- 
dent of southwest Virginia, aroused more interest than 
ever before in the school question by pointing out in a 
message to the General Assembly that, in spite of pri- 
vate and charity schools, a larger number of people in 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 257 

Virginia than ever before could not read or write. Sev- 
eral conventions on public education followed. The first 
one was at Clarksburg (now in West Virginia) in 1841, 
and this caused the western Virginians to renew their 
demands for a public school system for all white children. 
The second one was at Lexington in 1842, when President 
Henry Ruffner of Washington College (now Washing- 
and Lee University) presented a plan for a school sys- 
tem somewhat in accordance with Jefferson's ideas.* A 
third big convention was held in Richmond in the same 
year in order to interest the eastern Virginians in the 
movement, and a number of other meetings were after- 
wards held in various localities. The result of this move- 
ment was the passing of a law by the General Assembly 
allowing any comity to have public schools for all of its 
children, provided that the additional money required 
should be raised by the people of the county themselves. 
This law was like the one of 1796, and, except in the 
western counties, very few public schools were started. 

Just before the < ( ivil War broke out, another movement 
was started, and ;i convention held in Richmond strong- 
ly urged that the state should appropriate money for 
public schools for all of the white children in Virginia. 
There was a much stronger feeling in favor of it then 
than ever before, and the majority of the members of the 
Assembly were from the central and western parts of the 
state, which favored public schools. It is probable that, 
had the Civil War not come, Virginia would have had a 
public school system sooner than she did. 

*President Ruffner's son, William Henry Ruffner, carried out many of 
his father's ideas on public education when he became the first state 
Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1870. 



258 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What kinds of schools existed before the Civil War? 

2. What were Jefferson's ideas about public education? 
What proposal did he make in 1779? 

4. What kind of schools were provided in 177(>? Why was this 
plan a failure? 

5. What were charity or "public" schools? When were they 
started? What was the Literary Fund .' 

6. now did ("abell help Jefferson? 

7. How were charity schools looked upon .' 

8. What was the attitude of western Virginians toward public 
schools ? 

9. What attempts to establish them were made after Jefferson 
died? 



The Founding of the University of Virginia. — We 
have seen that Thomas Jefferson's plan for educating 
all of the white children of Virginia was to provide 
three kinds of schools: primary, "Latin Grammar" or 
high schools, and a central college. The eastern Vir- 
ginians, we have also seen, opposed the lower public 
schools and Latin grammar schools and Jefferson was 
never able to get anything more established than the 
charity schools and the county school systems. He was 
more fortunate in establishing a central college or state 
university, because the eastern Virginians, who had more 
delegates and senators in the Assembly than the western 
section, favored a central college. After his plan to make 
William and Mary College the central college failed 
because of the dissenters, he began to devise another plan. 
Finally he proposed that the state should establish a 
new "Central College" in Albemarle County. Joseph 
C. Cabell, a state senator, was his greatest ally in this 
work, and gradually many prominent men favored the 
plan. Before Central College was established, however, 
the name was changed to the "University of Virginia" 
and in LSI 8 the General Assembly appropriated the sum 
of $15,000 annually from the Literary Fund for the new 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 259 

institution. Buildings were begun, nearly all of them 
being designed by Jefferson himself, and extra appro- 
priations by the Assembly were made. The control of 
the University was put into the hands of a "board of 
visitors" composed of nine men appointed by the gov- 
ernor, one of whom was the rector or president of the 
board. The university had no president, but its faculty 
elected a chairman every year.* Jefferson himself was 
named the first rector of the University, and he was so 
interested in it that he devoted all of the energies of 
his old age towards its establishment. Jefferson lived to 
sec his University started, and the building with the 
famous 'serpentine wall" which he planned completed. 
He died in 1826, the University having opened in 1825. 
Opposition to the University. — The University was 
popular among the eastern Virginians because it afford- 
ed their sons higher education after finishing the private 
academies, but it was very unpopular among western 
Virginians. This was because the western Virginians 
wanted tree schools first and did not think that so much 
money ought to be spent on a university attended by 
the sons of wealthier people, as long as their own children 
had no better schools than the charity schools. They 
claimed that the income from the Literary Fund was 
used for an "aristocratic" university which would 
benefit the very rich, and for charity schools for the 
Yt-vy poor, while "the men of the small farms." so one 
of them wrote, "are left to their own means for the 
education id' their children." So bitter were the western 
Virginians, that their representatives in the Assembly 
always voted against proposals to appropriate money for 
the University, the Military Institute and the academies. 

*This plan was not changed until 1004, when the University had its 
first president, Edwin A. Alderman. 



260 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

and almost no young men from the western counties went 
to the University. Its total attendance until nearly 1850 
was less than 200 Virginians enrolled each year. 

The University Grows. — After 1845 until the war 
began, there was much larger attendance upon the Uni- 
versity, although tlic western Virginians continued to 




ROTUNDA, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA 

stay away. This growth was due chiefly to the inde- 
pendence the people of the southern states began to feel 
at that time. The slavery question, as we have seen, 
was again agitated by the northern Abolitionists, and so 
ill tempered were the attacks made upon the South and 
so different became the ideas of southern people from 
those of the North on government, that the leading men 
of the South began to urge that the southern people 
should not be dependent upon the North for their higher 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 261 

• 'duration, their books and their teachers and their com- 
merce. It was pointed ont in the newspapers and in 
meetings in the southern states that southern young 
men had gone to northern colleges, that the books used 
in the southern schools were written by northern peo- 
ple, and that the southern schools were taught by "Yan- 
kee teachers." Young men were urged to attend the 
University of Virginia, and schools and academies were 
urged to get southern teachers. 

Tlie result was that the University of Virginia rapidly 
became the most important college in the South if not in 
tlie entire country. Its attendance increased from less 
than 200 students in 1845 to nearly 700 in 1858, half 
of which was composed of central and eastern Virgin- 
ians and the rest from other southern states. Its profes- 
sors were able men, many of them being well-known men 
of tlie time, and it was looked upon as the center of edu- 
cation in the entire South. Its graduates were secured to 
teach in the academies and other colleges, and, except 
in the western counties, the "Yankee" teachers began 
to disappear. 

Other Schools. — Besides the charity or "public" 
schools for the children of poor parents and the Uni- 
versity of Virginia and other colleges for young men, 
there was a large number of private schools and "acade- 
mies" in the towns, and "old field schools" in the coun- 
try. Some of the larger academies were partly supported 
by the state government in spite of the protests of the 
western Virginians, but otherwise the private schools 
were maintained by tuition fees paid by the children's 
parents. Tn the town private schools, and in the country 
"old field schools," reading, writing, arithmetic, and 
sometimes geography, English, Latin, and algebra, were 
taught. The teachers were nearly always men teachers, 



2G2 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

and very often northern men. The buildings were poorly 
lighted and had rough furniture and very few black- 
boards, and the school children did not have the con- 
veniences and comforts they have to-day. There were 
no grades ; every pupil had to learn everything in a book 
thoroughly before being allowed to study another book 
or subject. Pupils recited in classes standing in a row, 
and when a word was missed or a mistake made, the boy 
or girl had to go to the foot of the class. Many of the 
teachers were quite free with the switch and the boys got 
whippings instead of demerits. There were no school 
janitors ; the boys split the wood and started the fires and 
the girls swept and dusted the school room. In spite of 
discomforts, however, we are told that the boys and girls 
of the old days managed to have a good time and. while 
they did not have so many interesting subjects to study 
as the boys and girls of to-day, they learned thoroughly 
and well the few subjects they were taught. 

When the pupil learned all he could in the town school 
or "old field school" he went to an academy if bis par- 
ents could afford to send him. There there were two and 
even three teachers, and higher branches were taught. 
such as rhetoric, English, Latin, sometimes Greek, alge- 
bra, geometry, history, and science. The academies of 
those days corresponded to our high schools, except that 
tuition was charged. They were usually in the larger 
towns, and chiefly town children went to them. Both 
boys and girls attended, some of the boys each year go- 
ing off to college as soon as they were prepared. 

State Institutions.— Besides the University of Vir- 
ginia, the state established the Virginia Military Insti- 
tute at Lexington in 1836, and in 1839 it was opened. 
For a number of years previous, the state had an arsenal 
a1 Lexington which had been guarded by paid soldiers. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



263 



and it was proposed that it should be guarded by young 
men studying military tactics. A class at Washington 
College in Lexington was formed, but soon a separate 
school was provided for. which became the famous "West 
Point of the South." The "V. M. I.," as it is more 
familiarly known, grew into a strictly scientific military 




ITITUTE. i I 



college, which furnished ;i large number of officers t«> the 
Confederate armies. Thomas -1. (Stonewall) Jackson 
was a professor there prior to the Civil War. 

Other Colleges. -Several private colleges were started 
between ITS!) and 1860. The first of these was Ran- 
dolph-Macon College al Ashland, established by the 
Methodists in 1832. The Methodists also established 
Emory and Henry College at Emory in 1839. In 1840 
Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Disciples of 



264 SCHOOL HISTORY OF V1EGINIA 

Christ, started Bethany College in western Virginia, 
which was the first college to be established in Virginia 
west of the Alleghanies. Lynchburg College was started 
a number of years later in Lynchburg, but it ceased to 
exist after the Civil War. 

Tn addition to the new colleges that were established, 
there were three other private colleges already existing 
before 1789, as we already know. They were Wash- 
ington College (now Washington and Lee University), 
at Lexington : Hampden-Sidney College, in Prince Ed- 
ward County: and old William and Mary College, at 
Williamsburg. 

Hospitals and Special Schools. — Virginia also estab- 
lished several schools and hospitals and asylums for 
afflicted persons. The first asylum for insane persons 
in Virginia, and probably in America, had been estab- 
lished at Williamsburg two years before the Revolution- 
ary War began. In 1828 another asylum for insane 
persons was started in Staunton. It was called the 
Western Lunatic Asylum and the asylum at Williams- 
burg then became known as the Eastern Asylum. 

Tn 1839 the state established at Staunton the Vir- 
ginia School for the Deaf and Blind. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What was Jefferson 's idea in establishing the University of 
Virginia? What was his first plan for a central college in 
1779? 

2. Tell of the starting of the University. 

3. Why did the western Virginians oppose the University? 

4. Why did the University become so important a center of edu- 
cation from 1845 to 1860? 

.">. Tell about the other schools before the Civil War. 

6. Tell about the starting of the V. M. I. 

7. What other colleges were started? 

8. What academies and private schools were in your county or city 
before the war? 

9. Suggestive Topic: A composition on local schools before the 
Civil War. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 265 

VIRGINIA AND THE CIVIL WAR 

1861-1865. 

PRESIDENT OF THE COXFEDER- GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

ate STATES: John Letcher (1860-1864). 

Jefferson Davis (1861-1865). William Smith (1864-1865).* 

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 

STATES : 

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865). 
THE FORMING OF THE CONFEDERACY. 

Causes of the War. — The Civil War did not come 
suddenly. It was caused by a large number of differ- 
ences between the people of the North and of the South, 
and these differences had lasted for many years before 
1 he war actually began. Of the many causes, we ought to 
remember two as the most important. 

First, there had been a long-standing antipathy be- 
tween Northern and Southern people. The Northern 
people, like the people of western Virginia, who were so 
different from the people of eastern Virginia, lived on 
small farms and had public schools. There were a great 
many more and larger towns and cities in the North 
than in the South. In these towns were factories and 
business establishments, while in the South there were 
very few factories, and farming, chiefly on large planta- 
tions, was the chief industry. The tariff laws passed by 
Congress greatly aided northern factories, and did not 
aid the farmers and planters of the South. One-third 
of the people in the northern stales were foreigners, 
chiefly Germans, Swedes, and Irish, who believed in the 
nation rather than in the states, in the South the peo- 
ple were patriotic for then' native state rather than for 

*The stnte government "!' Virginia under the Confederal enme to ■•in 
end in 1H65. 



266 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

the nation, and believed that the federal government was 
not stronger than the states which had formed it. 

Second, the slavery question. The people of the 
South had been exasperated by the falsehoods told about 
them by the Northern Abolitionists. They had been 
accused of being cruel to their negro slaves, whereas the 
truth was that very few eases of cruelty ever existed. 
Probably most of the Southerners wanted to see slavery 
stopped, and many southern slave owners had freed 
their slaves of their own accord. They had studied 
various plans to abolish slavery, and the state govern- 
ment of Virginia for several years spent large sums of 
money to send freed slaves back to Africa. The south- 
ern people did not think that it was fair to the slave 
owners to take their slaves away, because slaves repre- 
sented money, nor did they believe that sudden free- 
dom would be beneficial to the slaves themselves, who 
were too ignorant and helpless to take care of themselves. 
.\s the slavery question was discussed year after year, 
misunderstandings and hate crept in and made it im- 
possible for the two sides to agree on any plan. The 
northern people wanted to make the federal government 
forbid slavery in new states, while the southern people 
took the ground that any state should decide the slavery 
question for itself. 

Events that Brought on the War. — With these differ- 
ences and this antipathy between the North and the 
South, several things happened to bring on a crisis. 

The first was the Dred Scott Case. in ISoT the 
Supreme Court of the United Slates decided that Dred 
Scott, a negro slave, did not become free by simply 
going into a state or territory where slavery was for- 
bidden. This decision meanl that every slave owner 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 267 

could take his slaves into any state or territory, because 
Congress had no right to say where slaves could or could 
not be owned. This decision caused a great outcry in 
the North. 

The second was the debates between Stephen A. 
Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in Illinois in 1858. 
Douglas and Lincoln were rival candidates for the sena 
torship, and they debated on the Dred Scott decision. 
Lincoln said that Congress did have the right to say 
whether slave owners could take their slaves and live 
where they pleased, that the country had to decide by 
war or otherwise whether slavery should be abolished 
or not. Douglas believed that each state could do ;is 
it pleased about slavery and he warned Lincoln thai 
giving Congress the right would result in war. Douglas 
was elected, but Lincoln, who had been unknown before. 
became the champion of the Northern Republicans. 

These two events excited both North and South on 
the slavery question more than ever before. 

John Brown's Raid, 1859.— A fanatical Abolitionist, 
John Brown, who had fled from Kansas to escape be- 
ing punished for murders he had committed, suddenly 
appeared with nineteen followers in Harper's Perry, 
Virginia, one night in October, IS.")!). He and Ins men 
captured the Tinted States arsenal there for the pur- 
pose of getting arms for Hie slaves, whom he expected to 
set \')-rf by exciting them to rebellion. The mayor of 
Harper's Kerry and four citizens were killed by John 
Brown's men, and other citizens tired upon the 
murderers. Colonel Robert E. Lee and Federal soldiers 
were sent from Washington and captured Brown and 
his men after a light. Brown and several of his followers 
were tried and found guilty of murder and hanged. 
Some Northern Abolitionists held n tings and praised 



268 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

Brown as a "martyr. " The result was, of course, to 
cause the antipathy to become stronger. 

The Presidential Election of I860.— Following the 
John Brown incident, excitement over the slavery ques- 
tion became very much greater. In 1860 the final event 
came which caused secession to begin. This was the 
election as President of Abraham Lincoln, whose views 
on the right of Congress to force the states to abolish 
slavery were of course not acceptable to the Southerners. 

The votes of Virginia were cast against Lincoln, but 
they were not cast for the Southern Democratic candi- 
date for President, John C. Breckenridge. On the 
contrary, Virginia did not believe that the Southern 
states ought to secede, and her votes were cast for John 
Bell for President, the candidate of the Constitutional 
Union party. This party believed in upholding "the 
Constitution of the country, the Union of the States, 
and the enforcement of the laws." 

Secession Begins, 1860 and 1861.— On December 20. 
1860, a state convention in South Carolina withdrew its 
ratification of the United States constitution and thus 
South Carolina was no longer one of the States of the 
Union. Six other states, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, 
Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, followed South Caro- 
lina's example in January and February, 1861. 

Two efforts to bring these states back into the Union 
peacefnlly were made. One was a proposal, made by 
Senator John J. Crittenden, of Kentucky, to abolish 
slavery north of a certain line and to allow it south of 
that line, but it was not accepted by the Senate. The 
other was a peace conference held in Washington on 
February 4, 1861, at the invitation of Virginia. Led by 
the Virginia delegates, who were anxious to prevent war. 
the convention made a proposal very much like that of 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



269 



Crittenden. The Republican members of the United 
States Senate, however, voted it down because it did 
not agree with Lincoln's views. 

The Confederate States of America, 1861. — On the 
same day the Peace 
Conference met in 
Washington, a con- 
vention composed 
of delegates from 
the seven states 
which had seceded, 
met in Montgom- 
ery, Alabama. This 
convention adopted 
a constitution on 
February 8, 1861, 
and elected Jeffer- 
son Davis* Presi- 
dent of the Con- 
federate States of 
America. Alexan- 
der H. Stephens 
was elected Vice- 
President. On Feb- 
ruary 18, Presi- 
dent Davis was 
inaugurated at 
Montgomery, and 
the Constitution was 
March 11, 1861. 

Commissioners were appointed to make a treaty of 
friendship with the United States, because the Confed- 
eracy was not formed for war but for peace. The Soutli- 




:kfkkn<>\- DAVIS 



•atified by the seven states on 



270 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

ern people believed that they had not been treated justly 
under the United States government and that it would 
be better for all if they had their own government. The 
majority of the Southern people did not think that war 
would come, and a great many Northern people were in 
favor at this time of letting the Southern states go with- 
out any trouble. Had it not been for a different view 
held by President Lincoln and other northern people, 
and for an incident which caused fighting to begin. 
it is possible that there would have been two nations 
without any conflict. 



QUESTIONS. 
Give an account of John Brown's raid. Who was John Brown? 
What two events may be said to have brought on the war? 
Give an account of John Brown's raid. Who was John Brown? 
Tell something about the presidential election of 186"0. 
What was the first state to secede? What states soon followed? 
When and where was the Confederacy formed? Who was 
chosen president ? 

For what purpose was the Confederacy formed? What states 
originally belonged? 

What was the first Confederate capital? When was President 
Davis Inaugurated? 



THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

The United States Refuses to Surrender Fort 
Sumter. — Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina. 
had been a United States fort, After the Confederacy 
was formed, it was announced in "Washington that Fort 
Sumter would be turned over to South Carolina and 
the United States troops withdrawn. Instead of this. 
however,, the fort was still held by the Union. 

When the three Commissioners from the Confederate 
States arrived in Washington to make a treaty of friend- 
ship with the United States and to ask for the surrender 
of Fort Sumter. President Lincoln refused to see them. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



271 



This meant that he would not recognize the Confederate 
States .as a nation. On April 12, 1861, the United States 
fleet arrived off Charleston. The coming of the fleet 
meant war. and since Major Anderson, the commander 
of the fleet, had refused to leave, General Beauregard 
opened tire on the fort. The next day it was surrendered. 
Two days afterwards, on April 15, President Lincoln 




\i;U\HT(>\\ HOME OF ROBT. K. LEE 

called for 70,000 soldiers to invade the seven slides of th- 
Confederacy and put down the "rebellion." 

Virginia and Other States Secede. — The people of 
Virginia, even those who had been aggrieved l>y the 
Abolitionists and by the acts of the Republicans, had 
up to this time hoped for peace. They had thought that 
President Lincoln's promises of peace would he carried 
out. The same feeling existed in Arkansas, North Caro- 
lina and Tennessee, as well as in Maryland, Kentucky 

and Missouri, and these states had not seceded because 

it was believed that the Union ought to he preserved. 



272 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

But when President Lincoln's call was made for troops 
to invade the South, the southern people who had been 
against secession became indignant and made up their 
minds to stand by the Confederacy because President 
Lincoln had not kept his promises. The result of this 
indignation was that Virginia, by adopting in a state 
convention the Ordinance of Secession,* seceded on April 
17, 1861, and during May and June Arkansas. North 
Carolina and Tennessee followed her example. All of 
these states joined the Confederacy, Virginia becoming 
a Confederate state on May 6, 1861. 

Virginia Invaded and the War Begun. — President 
Lincoln at once assumed authority as commander-in- 
chief of the armies and navies of the United States. He 
issued a proclamation blockading all Southern ports and 
made a second call for volunteers, this time for 42,000 
men, in May. He ordered that 18,000 more seamen should 
be added to the navy and 22,000 more men to the regu- 
lar army. In two months time (by July, 186L) there 
were 183,588 United States soldiers in arms. 

But in addition to preparing for war. President 
Lincoln actually began war by sending 10,000 soldiers 
across the Potomac River into Virginia on May 23. The 
invasion of Virginia of course destroyed all hope of 
peace, and thousands of Virginians as well as other 
Southerners obeyed President Davis' call for volunteers 
to defend their homes and their states and their new 
nation. In the North the majority of people had been in 
favor of letting the Soutbern states go, but Lincoln 
called on them to "preserve the Union." This appeal 
became more popular than abolition of slavery or Repub- 
lican ideas about government could ever be, and the 
North grew eager to put down what they called "the 

*See Appendix K. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 273 

rebellion." In the South, there was no desire for shed- 
ding blood or engaging in warfare. All the Southern 
people wanted was to he let alone and to he allowed to 
govern themselves as thev believed to he right. Tt was 
only when the war was inevitable that they were eager 
to fight in self defense. 

Robert E. Lee Resigns from the United States 
Army. — Colonel Robert E. Lee.* who had distinguished 
himself in the war with Mexico and who was regarded 
as one of the best officers in the United States army, 
resigned his commission soon after Virginia seceded 
from the Union. Lee said that he "could take no part 
in an invasion of the Southern states" and he believed 
that his allegiance was first to Virginia and second to 
the Union. In his resignation he sacrificed the high 
honor of having the chief command of the United States 
army; which was offered to him about the time Virginia 
withdrew from the Union. 

Joseph K. Johnston,* a Virginian, who was quarter- 
master general of the United States army when Virginia 
seceded, also resigned to join the Confedeate army. 
Matthew F. Maury,* another distinguished Virginian, 
who was in the service of the hinted States in 1861, 
gave up his position and devoted himself to the South- 
ern cause. James B. B. Stuart* did the same, as did 
many others. Only a few Virginians who were United 
States officers at the lime remained on the Union side, 
hut thev did so because they too believed that they 
were right in so doing. Among these was George II. 
Thomas, who became a Federal major-general. 

Richmond is Made the Confederate Capital. — Soon 
after Virginia became one of the Confederate states, the 
capita] of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery. 



274 SCHOOL HISTOh'Y OF VIRGINIA 

Alabama, to Richmond. President Davis and his cabinet 
came to Richmond and there remained until the war was 
nearly over. The Confederate Congress met in the state 
capitol during the war. and the house in which President 
Davis lived was known as the "White House of the 
Confederacy." The capitol is still used by the General 
Assembly of Virginia and the state government, and 




OLD • CAPII 



only recently was remodelled. President Davis* house 
is now the Confederate museum, where each Southern 
state has placed its relics of the war. 



THE FIRST YEAR OP THE WAR, 

The Confederate States on the defensive.— The pur- 
pose in the Civil War on the part of the North was to 
make the seceding states come back into the Union and 
to put down the "rebellion;" on the pail of the South. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 275 

the purpose ill the war was to defend the Southern peo- 
ple from invasion and to keep their independence as a 
nation. The North was thus on the offensive. The South 
was on the defensive. 

By looking at the map of the country it will be seen 
that the South had to defend herself along four lines, 
as follows: 

1. In the section west of the Mississippi River. , 

2. In the section between the Mississippi River and 
the Alleghanies. 

3. In the section from the Alleghanies to the At- 
lantic Ocean. 

4. Along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Virginia 
to Texas. 

If. while studying the history of the Civil War. we 
remember these four lines of defense, it will be much 
easier to understand the reasons why troops were placed 
;it cei-tain points and why the battles took place where 
they did. The object of the Federal government was 
to break through these lines and invade the South, while 
the Confederacy tried to keep out the invaders. 

The War in Virginia in 1861.— The North Believed 
that with the great army of nearly 200,000 men it had. 
only ;i short time would be needed to break through 
the eastern lines of defense between the Alleghanies and 
the Atlantic, capture Richmond and thus end the war. 
So the (ii'st attack of the North was directly toward 
Richmond. 

To defend this line I'ii sident l);ivis h;id ;in army at 
Manassas under General Beauregard, another al Win- 
chester under General Johnston, General Magruder near 
the mouth of the James River, and General Garnetl in 
western Virginia at Rich Mountain. General George 15. 
McClellan with ;i Federal armv defeated Garnett, but 



276 



SCHOOL EISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 



Magruder defeated the Federals in eastern Virginia. 
General McDowell, with a Federal army of 80.000 men. 
then advanced south from Alexandria toward Richmond. 
General Johnston moved bis army from Winchester 
to join Beauregard at Manassas, where General Thomas 
J. Jackson* commanded one of Beauregard's brigades, 
and the combined army of 29.000 -men waited at Bull 
Run for the enemv. McDowell crossed Bull Run at 



HKi»fl 111 


IP fflBMjg' ft f Wfjl 




'SHI 



WHITE HOUSE OF THE CONFEDERACY, NOW CONFEDERATE 
MUSEUM, RICHMOND 

Centerville and on July 21 drove the Confederates back 
until his force was stopped by Jackson's men. It 
was at this time that Jackson received the name of 
"Stonewall." As the other Confederate brigade under 
General Bee were being diven hack by the Federals, 
Jackson's brigade stood firm, and General Bee called 
out 1<> h : s men: "Look! There is Jackson standing like 
a stone wall. Rally behind the Virginians!" 



*See Appendi 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 277 

The Confederates under Jackson, Kirby Smith and 
Jubal A. Early, then charged, putting McDowell's forces 
completely to flight. The first great battle of the war. 
which is called the first battle of Manassas, was a Con- 
federate victory. 

Later in the year, in August. General Robert E. Lee 
successfully defended the line of defense between the 
Alleghanies and the Mississippi by defeating the Federal 
General Rosecrans in western Virginia. The Federal 
attacks in Kentucky and Missouri against the Confed- 
erate States also failed. 

All Lines of Defense Unbroken in 1861. — In addition 
to the attacks from the north and the west, the Federal 
fleets had attempted to blockade the Southern ports 
along the Atlantic coast and on the Gulf of Mexico. 
All attacks had failed, however, and the ports were not 
successfully blockaded. Thus every one of the four lines 
of the Confederacy's defense was unbroken in 1861. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. When did the Civil War actually beginU Why was the firing 
■ hi Fort Sumter not the beginning of the war.' 

-. Why did Virginia secede from the Union? What states 
followed her example? 

•'!. What arts of President Lincoln were warlike before war 
actually began .' 

4. Why did General Lee resign from the United States army? 
Name some other Virginians who resigned .' 

5. Wint beeai if the Confederate capital after Virginia 

receded .' 

What building was used by the Confederate Congress! 

6. What was the purpose of the war on the part of the North? 
On the part of the South .' 

1 '•'mi what foil'- Pies did the South have to defend herself.' 
V Hive an account of the first battle of Manassas.' What 
Virginia officers were prominent in this battle. Find 
Manassas on the map. 

9. Tell about General Lee's part in the war iii 1861. 

In. What was the situation at the close of 1861 .' 



27S SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR. 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1862. — In attacking the 
Confederacy's four lines of defense in 1862, the Federal 
armies and fleets were partially successful except on 
the line of defense between the Alleghanies and the 
coast. The Federal fleet under Admiral Farragut 
captured New Orleans and gained control of the Missis- 
sippi River up as far as Natchez, thus partly cutting off 
Texas and Louisiana from the Confederacy. Generals 
Grant and Thomas drove the Confederates out of Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee and cut off Arkansas and Missouri. 
The Federal gunboats were more successful in blockad- 
ing Southern ports on the Atlantic coast than they were 
in 1861, thus partly cutting off the trade of the Con- 
federacy with foreign countries. But the three attempts 
to break through the line of defense between the Alle- 
ghanies and the coast and capture Richmond failed. 
One of these attempts was made by General McClellan, 
another by General Pope, and a third by General 
Burnside. 

The Virginia's Fight with the Monitor. — To defend 
Richmond from the attacks of Federal gunboats up the 
James River, a wooden warship, the Merrimac, had been 
remodelled, the deck and masts were cut away and tin- 
ship was rebuilt with sloping sides and a roof of heavy 
iron plates. An iron ram was built into her prow and 
she was fitted with heavy guns. Her name was changed 
to the Virginia. On March 8, 1862. the Virginia started 
out of Norfolk and destroyed two Federal warships. 
The next day an ironclad ship built by the Federals 
arrived in Hampton Roads from New York The Moni- 
tor's iron deck was almost on the level with the water, 
and was flat. In the center was a round turret which 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 279 

could revolve, thus allowing the 1\vo heavy guns in the 
turret to be pointed in any direction. The two vessels 
met, and the first battle ever fought between ironclads 
followed. They pounded each other's armor with heavy 
shots for several hours, and the Monitor retreated to 
shallow water . 
where the Virginia 
could not follow 
her. Twice again 
the Virginia tried 
to engage the Mon- 
itor in battle, but 
the Federal iron- 
clad w o u 1 d not 
come out into deep 
water. Tn Ma v. 
1862. the Confed- 
erates burned the 
Virginia, because 
the water in the 
James River was 
too shallow to per- 
mit her to go to 
the <1 e t'e ii se of 
Richmond, and be- 
cause the Feder- 
als had captured 

Norfolk. JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON 

McClellan's Campaign Against Richmond.— General 
MeClellaD had been pul in command of the B'ederal 
armies which were to attack Richmond. General 
Joseph Iv -lohtiston was commanding the Confederate 
armies defending Richmond. McClellan spenl about 
llill( ' months from the cud of the sum r of 1861 getting 




280 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIBGINIA 

his army of nearly 100,000 men ready to make the attack. 
His army was divided into four commands. The main 
division was at Fortress Monroe under his own command, 
and it was his intention to go up the York River to Rich- 
mond. Another division was at Manassas under Gen- 
eral McDowell and was ready to march south on Rich- 
mond. A third division was in the Valley of Virginia, 
and a fourth was in western Virginia. It was McClellan's 
plan to have the division in the Valley capture that 
section and then join McDowell at Manassas. 

Jackson in the Valley — The Federal forces in the 
Valley were opposed by General "Stonewall" Jackson* 
with only about 3,000 men. In January, 1862, Jackson's 
army attacked 7,000 Federals under General Shields 
near Winchester, and while he did not defeat them, 
Lincoln feared that unless General McDowell stopped 
his march to Richmond and came back to the Potomac 
River. Jackson might defeat Shields and march on Wash- 
ington. Jackson thus prevented McDowell's division 
of McGlellan's army from attacking Richmond from the 
north 1 . 

By several quick marches, Jackson next defeated two 
other Federal forces, one at the upper end of the Valley 
near Staunton under General Milroy, and another at the 
lower end of the Valley near Winchester under General 
Banks. Then more Federal troops were sent into the 
lower end of the Valley under Generals Fremont and 
Shields to capture Jackson and his small army. In two 
days Jackson defeated both o'f them, Fremont at Cross 
Keys and Shields at Port Republic, thus keeping Mc- 
Dowell near Washington to defend the Federal capital 
and away from Richmond 

McClellan Comes Up York Peninsula. -While Jack- 
son was engaged in driving the Federals out of the 

*See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



2S1 



Valley, McClellan and 85,000 men were moving toward 
Richmond up the York Peninsula between the York and 
James Rivers. This great army was held in check for 
the month of April by 11,000 men under General Ma- 
gruder, but Gen- 
eral Johnston, with 
45,000 men in all, 
did not deem it 
wise to engage in 
a general battle. 
•loli i ist on retreated 
tow aid Richmond 
and McClellan fol- 
lowed him to the 
Chickahominy Riv- 
er where his army 
went into camp to 
await the coming 
of McDowell from 
Manassas. Mc- 
Dowell, as we have 
seen, was kept near 
Washington, how- 
ever, for fear that 
Jackson would cap- 
run- the capital. 
On May 31 and 

, ' , r „, , THCMAS J. (STONEWALL) JACKSON 

•lone 1. McClel- 
lan, having decided to attack Richmond without waiting 
any longer for McDowell, had sent pari of his force 
across the Chickahominy. where it was attacked at Seven 
Pines ami a1 Fair Oaks by Johnston. Johnston was 
unable to drive the enemy hack across the river and was 
himself wounded. General Robert E. Lee was then 




2&2 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

placed in command of the Confederate forces, which 

were afterwards called the Army of Northern Virginia. 

McClellan is Driven Back by Lee and Jackson. — Just 

at this time Jackson, after his remarkahle victories in the 
Valley, made a quick secret march from the Valley to 
help Lee at Richmond. The right wing of McClellan 's 
army was driven back in the battle of Gaines Mill 
on June 27. McClellan, losing hope of aid from Mc- 
Dowell, began to retreat, although he had 105.000 men. 
Lee, with 57,000 men in all, including Jackson's men, 
pursued him back down the York peninsula for seven 
days. There was fighting every day, and the seven days 
of retreat are known as the Seven Days' Battle. Mc- 
Clellan finally reached the Federal gunboats at Har- 
rison's Landing on the James River, and his troops were 
taken to Alexandria. 

Pope's Campaign Against Richmond. — While Mc- 
Clellan 's army was being driven back, General Pope, 
with another Federal army which had been gathered, 
was sent to attack Richmond from Washington by way 
of Cnlpeper. Lee sent Jackson back to meet him, while 
the other division of Lee's army under Longstreet made 
ready to follow. At Cedar Run Jackson defeated the 
advance troops of Pope's army, and Longstreet's men 
marched to meet Pope's main army, which had camped 
on the Rappahannock River. In thirty-six hours on 
August 25 and 26, Jackson's men marched fifty miles 
around Pope's army, destroying its supplies, on toward 
Washington for some distance, and then back, creating 
terror in the Federal capital. His smaller force kept 
Pope's 70,000 men from advancing tor four days more 
until Lee with Longstreet and his men arrived. The 
Confederates and the Federals met ;it Manassas a second 
time, and bv one great charge Lee's armv of 50.000 men. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 



283 



composed of Longstreet's and Jackson's corps, defeated 
Pope's superior numbers and drove them back toward 
Washington. 

The way was open for Lee to invade the Federal 
territory, and in Sep- 
tember he marched 
into Maryland, fight- 
ing with McClellan 
at Sharpsburg an in- 
decisive though bloody 
battle, in which the 
total loss on both 
sides was 25,000 men. 

Burnside 's Cam- 
paign Against Rich- 
m o n d . — For two 
m o n t h s McClellan 
waited until he could 
recruit his army to 
still greater numbers 
before making the 
third campaign of the 
year against Rich- 
mond. While Lee 
wale 1 1 ed for 1 1 is ad- 
vance, Gen. J. E. B. 
Stuart and 1,800 cav- 
alry were sent into 
Maryland. St nart 

Rl BERT E. I.l- I 

circled McClellan s 

army, and McClellan advanced toward Culpeper to in- 
vade Virginia again. 

Before McClellan could make another attempt. Lin- 
coln put General Burnside in his place. McClellan had 




284 SCH 00 L 1IISTOUY OF I IRGIN1A 

been severely criticized for his slowness and for his 
defeat in the Yorktown Peninsula. Lee hastened to 
meet Bnrnside at Fredericksburg in December. Burn- 
side had nearly 100,000 men, but Lee had placed the 
main part of his army on Marye's Heights at Fredericks- 
burg. Jackson's corps kept Burnside from attacking 
Lee on the right, and the Federals were forced to charge 
Up the heights. This was one of the bloodiest battles of 
the Civil War, Bnrnside being driven back across the 
Rappahannock, leaving 13,000 dead Federals behind. 
The Confederate loss was 5,000 men. 

Burnside was removed from command of the Fed- 
eral Army of the Potomac, and General "Fighting Joe" 
Hooker was placed in command. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What were the four lines of defense in L862? 

2. Describe the fight between the Virginia and the Monitor.' 

:i. What were Mc( lellan 's plans for capturing Eiehmond? Who 

commanded the Confederates? 
4. Give an account of Jackson's campaign in the Valley. 
~>. r| >'l alv-t McClell»n's movements nn the York Peninsula. 

What battles were fought.' Why was Lee put in Johnston's 

place? 

6. Give an account of bee and Jackson's campaign against 
McClellan. 

7. Who now took charge of the Federal army? In what battle 
was he badly defeated .' 

8. Wh-'t were Lee's next movements .' What battle was fought 
in Maryland .' 

9. Tell about the battle of Fredericksburg. Who succeeded 
Burnside after this battle ? 

10. Locate on the map all of the battles fought, in 1862 in 
Virginia. Locate Sharpsburg and trace Lee's line of march. 




,EE AM) JACKSON BEFORE THE BATTLE ()F CHANCELLORSVILLE 



286 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

THE THIRD YEAR OF THE WAR, 

The Four Lines of Defense in 1863.— Just as in 1862, 
the Federals tried to break down the four lines of the 
( 'onfederacy 's defense. This was the decisive year of the 
war. The Confederate ports along the Atlantic coast 
were successfully blockaded by the Federal fleets, and 
the South could get no help or supplies from other 
countries. By the capture of Vieksbnrg by Grant, the 
entire Mississippi River was in the control of the Fed- 
erals. The Confederates under General Bragg were de- 
feated at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge near 
Chattanooga by Generals Rosecrans and Grant, and the 
way opened for the Federals to march into the Con- 
federacy south of Virginia. The attempt to break down 
the line along the Potomac and to capture Richmond 
again failed, however, although Lee was defeated at 
Gettysburg in his invasion of Pennsylvania. All except 
one of the important battles in 1863 were fought out- 
side of Virginia. 

The Battle of Chancellorsville. — During the winter 
of 1862 and 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia of 53,- 
000 men under General Lee,* and the Army of the Po- 
tomac of 130,000 men. were encamped near Fredericks- 
burg. The Confederates were ragged and without suffi- 
cienl provisions, while the Federals lived comfortahly 
in tents with plenty of rations and warm clothes. It 
was an extremely hard winter on Lee's forces, but they 
remained faithful and cheerful, anxious for the spring 
to come when they could again drive the enemy out of 
Virginia. 

Tin' Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Lee, was 
composed of two eorps. One was under Lieutenant-General Longstreet, and 
consisted of six divisions commanded by Major-Generals McLaws, R. II 
Anderson, Pickett, Hood, arid Ransom. The other was under Lieutenant 
General Jackson and consisted of five divisions commanded bv M^jor 
General? T>. II. Hill. A. I'. Hill. .Tubal A. Earlv, and W. B. Taliaferro. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



i's; 



Finally in April, when part of Longstreet's corps was 
away, Hooker with part of his men crossed the Rappa- 
hannock above Lee and encamped at Chancellorsville. 
The other part of his army, under General Sedgwick. 
pretended to he- 
gin crossing the 
river at Freder- 
icksburg. The plan 
did not deceive 
L ee . Leaving 
Earl y with less 
than 10,000 men to 
keep Sedgwick 
from crossing. Lee 
sent Jackson with 
26,000 men through 
the dense woods of 
the section called 
the wilderness Id 
attack Hooker on 
the (i t li e r side. 
Jackson did this on 
May 2 so quicklj 
a n d so secretly, 
with General Stu- 
ar1 leading his men. that Hooker and his army were 
completely surprised and thrown into confusion. The 
nexl day Lee attacked Hooker again ami drove his army 
back. Then Lee returned to Fredericksburg and drove 
Sedgwick hack, completely defeating the attempt to 
march to Richmond. 

Death of Jackson. — The victory at Chancellorsville 
was gained at a fearful cos! to the Confederacy, however. 
•Inst after Jackson had surprised Hooker's army and as 




28S 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF I IRGINIA 



lie was riding in the night to his headquarters, he was 
tired upon by mistake by some of his own men. Eight 
days later, on May Id. 1863, the great military leader 
died of the wounds he had received. Lee fully under- 
stood what a great blow this was. He had called Jackson 
his "right arm." and had relied upon him to do the 
most difficult planning and fighting of the Army of 
Northern Virginia. 




DEATH OF "STOXKWAI.I, JACKSON 

Lee's Invasion of the North. — The way was again 
opened by the defeat of Hooker to invade the enemy's 
country. At this time the North was much discouraged 
by the defeats of its armies, and many of the Northern 
people wanted peace. Lee believed that an invasion of 
the North's territory would make Northern people de- 
mand that Lincoln vnd the war in a peaceful manner, 
and he determined to march through Maryland into 
Pennsylvania and then southward toward Washington. 

In a great battle at Gettysburg, the Federals under 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VllidlNlA 



2S9 



General Meade defeated the Confederates because of 

superior numbers and because they occupied higher 

ground than Lee's forces. The battle lasted three days. 

On the third day 

n final attempt to 

force the Federals 

from their position 

was made in a 

splendid charge by 

the Virginia troops, 

led by General 

George E. Pickett.* 

It was one of the 

greatest charges in 

history, but the 

Virginians were 

not reinforced and 

could not hold the 

ground they had 

gained. The battle 

of Gettysburg was 

the turning point 

of the war. The 

Federal victory en- 

c our aged the 

North, and more 

GEORGE E. PICKET' 

soldn-rs were re- 
cruited. Lee's army was greatly weakened and 
to Orange where it camped for the winter. 




•etreated 



QUESTIONS. 

What misfortunes befell the Confederates in L863I How 
many important battles were foughl in Virginia in ls<;:;.' 
Describe the battle of Chancellorsville. 



See Appendix A. 



290 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



3. Tel] about the death of Jackson. How did Lee regard the 
loss of .Jackson .' 

4. Give an account of Lee's invasion of the North and the 
battle of Gettysburg. 

5. What is said of this battle! Where did Lee's army go after 
the battle of Gettysburg? 

6. Locate Chancellorsville on the map. Trace Lee 's march into 
Pennsylvania. Who commanded the Federals at Gettysburg! 



THE FOURTH YEAE OF THE WAR. 

Only Two Lines of Defense Left. — In 1863 we saw 
that the way was opened by the defeat of General Bragg 
for the Federals to march into the Confederacy south of 
Virginia. To stop their attack General Johnston was 
put in command of. the Confederate forces in the South, 
while Genera] Lee remained in Virginia to defend Rich- 
mond on the north. 

In 1864 General Ulysses S. Grant was put in command 
of all the Federal armies. His plan was to send General 
W. T. Sherman from Chattanooga, defeat Johnston and 
march across the Confederacy so that the southern 
supplies for Lee's army could be cut off. This plan suc- 
ceeded, and Sherman marched to Atlanta and thence to 
Savannah, destroying and pillaging the country on what 
is known as Ins "March to the Sea.*' Johnston and Ins 
remnant of an army remained south of Virginia to ir\ 
to prevent any attempt of Sherman to march northward 
to join Grant. 

Grant's plan against Lee was for Meade to lead the 
Array of the Potomac toward Richmond, to have Gen- 
eral B. F. Butler and his Federal force go up the 
James River and attack Lee's army in the rear and 
capture Richmond, and to have General Hunter cut off 
Lee's supplies from the Valley of Virginia and West 
Virginia. The Federal armies were greatly increased 



292 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

by recruits, while the Confederates were unable to secure 
many new men. Grant thus expected to wear Lee's army 
out by attacking it and leaving it no sonrce of food or 
other supplies. 

In Winter Quarters in Northern Virginia. — During 
the winter of 1863-1864, Meade's Army of the Potomac, 
which defeated Lee at Gettysburg, was encamped at 
Culpeper, Lee's army of Northern Virginia spent the 
winter at Orange. The Federals were comfortably 
housed, fed and clothed, for they had all the supplies 
they needed from the North. Lee's soldiers, however, 
had barely enough to eat, were ragged and gaunt, and 
slept on beds of straw in log huts and tattered tents. 
The Confederate soldier had for his daily food a small 
portion of pork with a little meal or some crackers. 
Meade's army numbered over 120,000 men; Lee's army 
was about half that number. The Confederates had few 
supplies. The war had taken away from the farms and 
plantations nearly all of the white men. Many of the 
fields had been laid waste or had not been planted. 
Horses and mules had been taken away for use in the 
army. Many of the people had gone to Richmond and 
other large towns and needed food themselves. Their 
money, which they had changed into Confederate cur- 
rency, was becoming worthless because fear was now 
being felt in the South that the Confederacy could not 
be independent. Prices of everything, especially food, 
were extremely high, partly because articles were scarce 
and partly because the value of Confederate money had 
decreased. 

Grant Tries to Capture Richmond from the North. — 
The troops under Meade were the main army of the 
Federals. Grant took charge of this force himself and 
prepared to capture Richmond from the north. On 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 293 

May 4, 1864, he marched southward through the wilder- 
ness over the battlefield of Chancellorsville with the 
intention of getting between Lee's army and Richmond. 
Lee prevented him from doing this by attacking his 
army on May 5 and 6. The fighting in the wilderness 
was heavy. Grant had 18,000 men killed and Lee about 
9.000, and Grant was forced to turn southeast. Lee 
quickly marched to Spottsylvania Court House and 
had liis men dig trenches for fortifications in front of 
Grant's army. There the battle of Spottsylvania was 
fought. Grant's men attacked Lee's fortified army for 
several days, but were driven back with great slaughter. 
Finally he gave up this attempt and again turned south- 
eastward toward Cold Harbor. During the battles of 
the Wilderness and Spottsyrvama Court House, General 
Dee twice placed himself at the head of troops to lead 
charges against the enemy, but each time the Confed- 
i lilies, fearing that their great leader might be wounded 
or killed, shouted "Lee to the rear!" until he went back 
to a place of greater safety. Then they made the charges 
themselves, and full of enthusiasm for "Marse Robert," 
drove the enemy back. 

Grant continued his march until he reached Cold 
Harbor, where he tried to turn west toward Richmond. 
Again he found that Lee was before him with his army 
intrenched. On June 8, Grant had Ins army of now 80,- 
000 men attack the Confederates. So deadly was the 
fire of Lee's men that 6,000 Federals fell dead on the 
hattlefield in ten minutes. At the same lime General 
Phil Sheridan, with the Federal cavalry, tried to attack 
Richmond from the west. The Confederate cavalry under 
General "Jel>" Stuart arrived at Yellow Tavern in time 
to check the Federals, but in the battle Stuart received 
wounds from which he died on the following day. Thus 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 295 

Lee lost a general who, nexl to Jackson, was the mosl 
valuable leader he had. 

So far, Grant's attempt to capture Richmond from the 
north had failed, hi the battles of the Wilderness, 
Spottsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Yellow Tavern, 
and at other points. Grant in forty days had lost 60,000 
men. Lee lost 20,000 men. But Grant could get plenty 
more men and had an abundance of provisions and 
ammunition and arms. Lee's men could not be replaced, 
and his men were ragged and half U'd and worn out by 
the quick marches over long distances to meet the enemy. 

"Bottling Up" Butler. — General Butler's campaign 
to capture Richmond from the east was easily stopped. 
That Federal general had moved his army up the James 
River near Richmond and waited for Grant's army to 
join him. Before Grant could break through Lee's lines 
and join Butler, General Beauregard, who commanded 
a part of Johnston's army in North Carolina, marched 
north into Virginia, and drove Butler between the James 
and Appomattox rivers. There he stayed, "bottled up," 
as Grant called it. until the campaign had nearly ended. 

Grant's Attack on Richmond from the Southeast. — 
Since Granl had found it impossible to reach Richmond 
from the north or east, he determined to march around 
Richmond and make an attempt to capture it from the 
southeast, lie moved his army from Cold Harbor across 
the James and turned towards Petersburg. There he 
was again faced by Lee's veterans, and in IVoni of Peters- 
burg was repulsed with severe losses. Then he tried to 
move south of Lee and seize the Petersburg and Weldon 
"Railroad, by which supplies were being brought to Lee's 
army from North Carolina, but Generals W. II. K. Lee, 
Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee.,* commanding the 

*Sop Appendix A. 



2.96 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Confederate cavalry, drove back the Federal cavalry at 
Reams Station. 

Finally Grant tried a desperate experiment to break 
through Lee's lines in front of Petersburg. A tunnel 
Mas dug from the Federal lines underground to a point 

under the Confed- 
erate troops. Large 
quantities of pow- 
der were carried 
through the tunnel 
and placed under 
the Confederate 
Hue. On July 30 
the ]) o w d e i- was 
ignited and a great 
explosio n took 
place. Grant 
had planned that 
the explosion o f 
the mine w o u 1 d 
make a great open- 
ing in the Confed- 
erate lines, through 
w h i e h his men 
could march to 
Petersburg and on 
to Richmond. But 
as his troops 
fitzhugh lee marched into the 

' " ( "rater, ' ' as the place where the explosion took place was 
called, the Confederates poured shot and shell into them, 
and 5,000 Federals were killed. They were driven back. 
During August and September Grant made four more 
attacks on Lee's lines, but the Federals were repulsed. 




SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 



297 



About 16,000 of Grant's men were killed in these attacks, 
while the Confederate loss was very light. 

Hunter's Campaign in the Valley. — While Lee and 
Grant were fighting around Richmond, it was Grant's 




plan, as we have seen, to have General Hunter, command- 
ing l!)f forces (18,000 men) of Generals Sigel and Crook. 
cut off Lee's supplies from the Valley of Virginia, and 
it' possible attack Richmond from the west. 

Crook marched to the Valley from western Virginia, 
and Sigel marched up the Valley. Sigel was stopped a1 
New Markel by General J. C. Breckenridge's forces and 
the cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. Crook's 
and Sigel's forces joined, and. under command of Gen 
era! Hunter, marched down the Valley, since Brecken- 
ridge had to hurry to Cold Harbor to aid in stopping 
Grant's attack. The inarch of the Federals up the 
Valley is called "Hunter's Raid." since he destroyed 
property and laid waste the fields. The Virginia Mili- 



-'.is 



sc/KtOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



tary institute was burned down, and Hunter turned 
east towards Richmond. 

Sheridan and the Federal cavalry tried to join Hunter, 
hut at Trevillian Station, in June, they were defeated 
by Wade Hamilton and the Confederate cavalry. Gen- 
eral Jubal A. Early" with 10.000 soldiers was sent by 

Lee to stop Hunter. 
This he did just in 
hue to save Lynchburg 
from being occupied by 
Hunt e r . and Early 
drove him hack over 
the Alleghany Moun- 
tains. 

Early Invades 
Maryland. — By this 
time Grant had begun 
his attacks on Lee he- 
fore Petersburg. Lee 
believed that if Early 
could march down the 
Valley and threaten 
Washington itself, re- 
inforcements would be 

.M-HX S. MUSKY 

prevented from com- 
ing to Grant. This proved true and greatly aided 
Lee. Early marched down the Valley, crossed the 
Potomac into Maryland, and. after defeating General 
Lew Wallace's Federal forces, turned toward Washing- 
ton. After causing the Federal troops to be hurried to 
defend Washington, Early retreated up the Valley. 
Sheridan, with 55,000 men. was sent by Grant against 
Early and his 13,000 men. During September several 




See Appendix A. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 299 

battles took place, the result of which was that Early's 
small army was forced to retreal up the Valley. Colonel 
John S. Mosby and his 400 troopers continually attacked 
Sheridan's men during this campaign. So daring were 
they and so quick in their marches that Sheridan's large 
army was kept worried, and the Federals had to use a 
large force to guard their supplies. 

Although Early was forced back by superior numbers, 
he had accomplished his purposes by driving Hunter out 
of the Valley and keeping reinforcements from joining 
Grant. 



QUESTIONS. 

What were the two lines of defence in 1864? 

Who was put in command of the Union armies in 1864? 

What was his plan against Lee? 

Tell how the Union and Confederate armies fared during the 

winter of 1863-1864. 

What was Grant's plan fur capturing Richmond? in what 

battles was he defeated.' 

Where was Stuart killed.' Why was this a severe loss to 

Lee. How many men had Grant lost in this compaigrj .' 

How many had Lee lost .' Why could Grant afford to lose 

more men than Lee.' 

Tell about the "bottling up'' of Butler. 

Mow did Grant next try to rapture Richmond? 

(live an account of Hunter's campaign in the Valley? 

What part did the V. M. 1. cadets have in the Valley 

fighting : 

Tell about Early's invasion of Maryland. 

Locate on the map the principal battles fought in 1864. 

Name the most prominent generals on each side. 



THE END OF THE WAR, 1865. 

The Confederacy's Last Defense. In 1864 ;dl lines of 
lite Confederacy's defense had been broken. Every 
effort was made in 1865 to defend the capital, Richmond. 
Grant's plan of campaign was to advance mi Rich- 



300 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



mond by way of Petersburg and to have Genera] Sher- 
man march north and join him in the final attack on the 
capital. To meet this campaign. Lee had his force of 
45,000 men around Petersburg. Grant had 125,000 men. 

well supplied with 
food, ammunition 
and guns. Lee's 
army was almost 
starving. There 
were no supplies 
and little ammuni- 
tion. In the Caro- 
linas was General 
Joseph E. John- 
ston with a small 
army composed of 
what was left of 
Hood 's army and 
of other Con feder- 
ate forces. Against 
the greater num - 
I I here of Sherman 

'^A J£i I * ie raa( ^ e a success - 

JjgL ffi s I I'ul stand and kepi 

Sm ■'}. I the Federals from 

JH ' I joining Grant at 

Petersburg. 

JTTBAL A. EARLY ^ t t-» t-i 

General R. E. 
Lee was put in command of all the Confederate forces 
in February. 1865. Heretofore he had been commander 
of the Army of Northern A 7 irginia. It was too late, how- 
ever, for him to do anything more than defend Richmond 
as long as it was humanly possible. The enemy was too 
great in numbers, and there was no way in which to 
recruit the Confederate forces . 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 301 

The Confederate Line Broken. — Grant had occupied 
himself during the winter and spring with preparations 
for the final attack on the thin lines of Lee's weakened 
army. On April 1, 1865, his assault began. General 
Pickett's division was driven back by the Federal forces 
at Five Forks, and the next day Grant's men succeeded 
in breaking through the Confederate line only four miles 
from Petersburg. General A. P. Hill rushed his men to 
stop the Federals as they marched toward Petersburg, 
but he was killed and his men driven back. Lee gave 
orders to abandon Petersburg. 

The evacuation of Richmond was of course necessary. 
The Confederate cabinet and President Davis, with the 
government documents, were rushed by rail to Danville. 
Danville was the last capital of the Confederacy, and 
there in the Sutherlin mansion President Davis per- 
formed his Inst acts as the head of the nation. As Rich- 
mond was abandoned, the tobacco warehouses were set 
a lire to prevenl them from being seized by the enemy, 
but the flames spread to other buildings and a Large pari 
of the city was destroyed. 

The next day. April :>. Grant look possession of Rich- 
mond and Petersburg. 

Lee's Army Surrounded. — Lee retreated westward 
along the Appomattox River, lie hoped to be able to 
join .Johnston's army. At Amelia Court House the Con- 
federates were entirely oul of provisions and it was 
necessary to stop and hunt for food. They had nothing 
to ea1 1ml parched corn and buds of trees. The delay. 
although absolutely necessary, gave Grant time to send 
part of Ins army south of Lee and between him and Dan- 
ville. Lee was thus forced to turn towards Lynchburg, 
hut 8,000 Confederates wevc captured as they retreated. 
Granl then sent another pari of his army north of Lee 



302 



school Jirsronv of vibginia 



and behind him, thus stopping his retreat toward Lynch- 
burg. 

Tims Lee and his remaining 28,000 starving soldiers 
were completely surrounded by Grant's great army of 
well-equipped men. 11 was impossible to cut through the 




MC I, KAN HOUSE, A.PPOM \TT< » 



enemy's lines. The Confederates, worn out and des- 
perately poor as they were, were eager to make the 
attempt, and were willing to die before surrendering. 
Bu1 Lee knew that it was hopeless and was unwilling 
to sacrifice the lives of his men needlessly. There was 
nothing to do but to surrender. 

The Surrender at Appomattox. — At the home of the 
McLean family, in the old village of Appomattox Courl 
House. Lee and Grant met. The two greal generals 
arranged the terms of surrender quickly, and Grant was 



school history of Virginia 303 

considerate and magnanimous. lit 1 allowed the Con- 
federate officers to retain their swords and the Confed- 
erate inen to keep their horses and mules and to return 
to their homes. 

The scene among the Confederates as Lee returned 
from McLean's home was ;i sad one. The men were 
clothed in rags and many were barefooted. They had 
110I had sufficient Pood for months, and were thin and 
gaunt. Yet when their leader rode hack from his meet- 
ing with Grant, many of them broke down and cried. 
They did not want to surrender. As they crowded 
around Lee's horse the greal lender was as much affected 
as they. He could only say : 

"Men, we lnnc foughl through the war together. I 
have done the best T could for you. My heart is too full 
to say more." 

There was no criticism of Lee by the men. however. 
They knew that he had done his besl and more than any 
other man could have done. 

The next day Lee issued ;i farewell address to his 
sol. I < rs. and the < 'on federates, after four years of fighl 
ing and suffering, eager to fight even longer should 
"Marse Robert" give the word, and defeated only by 
hunger and the superior numbers of the enemy, left for 
their homes. Some rode the mules and horses that were 
left, some wenl by train, hut many had to wander on 
fool to their poverty-stricken homes. 

The Confederacy at an End. When Lee surrendered, 
the other scattered Confederate forces did the same. 
Five days after the surrender at Appomattox, President 
Lincoln was assassinated by a crazy actor. Secretary of 
War Stanton accused Presidenl Davis of having plotted 



304 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

the assassination. The accusation was of course false, 
and was later found to lie without a shred of truth. Presi- 
dent Davis himself left Danville and went south. In 
Georgia, on May 10, 1865, he was made a prisoner by 
Federal cavalry and taken to Fortress Monroe. Vir- 
ginia. For two years he was imprisoned there, suffering 
many indignities and even cruel treatment. In 1867 he 
was brought to be tried before a United States court on 
the charge of treason. He was bailed, and later the 
charge was dropped. 

With the surrender of the Confederate armies, the 
Confederacy was at an end. President Andrew John- 
son, who succeeded Lincoln, issued proclamations restor- 
ing all the Southern states to the Union, and appointed 
temporary governors. But Congress did not agree with 
Johnson's plan, and considered the Southern states as 
conquered territory. They refused to recognize the 
states as restored by President Johnson unless the states 
themselves would agree not to allow any who had been 
Confederates to hold office and to permit the negroes to 
become citizens. This every Southern state except 
Tennessee refused to do, and Congress then put them 
under military government. Virginia was made Military 
District No. 1. 

Virginia's Part in the War. — Since Virginia was the 
chief battleground of the war, her people suffered more 
from its ravages than did those of any other state, and 
more of her people took part in it. Virginia furnished 
most of the Confederacy's greatest leaders, and practi- 
cally every white man and boy able to carry a musket, in 
central and eastern Virginia, was in the Confederate 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 305 

army. Every Virginia woman and girl did her part in 
making clothes for the soldiers, caring for the wounded, 
and struggling at home to take care of the farm and 
plantation. 

The state government, with John Letcher as governor 
(he was known as the "War Governor"), contributed 
funds for ammunition, supplies and pay of soldiers. The 
General Assembly and the state conventions which met 
during the war aided the Confederate Congress in every 
possible way. About $45,000,000 was spent by the state 
government for war expenses. Part of this great sum 

came from higher taxes, pari from using the m y for 

schools and internal improvements, and part was bor- 
rowed money in the form of loans and "treasury notes" 
and other kinds of paper money which became worthless 
al the end of the war. 



QUESTIONS. 

Wha1 last line of defense remained in 1865? 
Wha1 took place around Petersburg? Tell about the evaeua 
lion of Richmond. 

What did Lee hope to do when he began to retreat from 
Petersburg? Bow was he prevented? Why did he decide to 
surrender .' 

Give an account of the surrender. Tell about the assassina- 
tion of Lincoln. Why was Davis arrested? 
What events followed the surrender of Lee's army? 
Locate on the map the battles fought in 1865. Trace Lee's 
retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox. Locate Lynchburg. 



30G SCHOOL HISTOBY OF I IEGIN1A 



PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION 

1865-1868. 

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED (iOVERXOR OP VIRGINIA: 

states: Francis H. Pierpont (1865- 
Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865). 1868). 

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869). Ilenrv H. Wells (1868-1869). 

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877). Gilbert C. Walker (1869-1870). 

Separation of West Virginia. — When the convention 
elected by the people to say whether or not Virginia was 
to secede, met in Richmond in April, 1861, all the dele- 
gates from the western counties voted against secession. 
When the majority decided to secede, many people in 
the western and northern part of the state met together 
in Wheeling in May. 1861, and again in June, and said 
they would stand by the Union. They also said that 
there was no longer any state government at Richmond 
because it was not loyal to the Union, and, therefore, 
they started a government of their own. This govern- 
ment was called "The Restored Government" of Vir- 
ginia, and the people in the loyal counties in the west 
and along the coast, elected an Assembly, a governor, 
and other officers. 

Many people of western Virginia were not satisfied 
with this. As we have seen, they had for many years 
disagreed with the other Virginians, and now they 
wanted to be made into a new state. So the Assembly of 
the '" I»i stored Government" passed an act providing for 
;i new state to lie called Kanawha, which was afterwards 
changed to West Virginia. The Assembly of the "Re- 
stored Government," which the United States Congress 
recognized as the real government of Virginia, having 
given its consent. Congress passed a law allowing the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 307 

western counties to be made into the new state of West 
Virginia on June 19, 1863. 

The "Restored Government" of Virginia. — After 
West Virginia was divided off from Virginia, there was 
not much left of the ' ' Restored Government. ' ' Still the 
counties of Alexandria, Fairfax, Accomac, Northampton, 
and the country around Norfolk, elected senators and 
delegates, who met in Alexandria, where the Governor, 
Francis H. Pierpont, lived. As these counties were under 
the control of the Federal Army, the people there could 
not drive the Unionists out, and so the "Restored Gov- 
ernment" stayed on until the end of the war, when Pier- 
pont. with his "Assembly" made up of three senators 
and nine delegates, came to Richmond and took charge 
oJ the conquered state. 

Pierpont tried to bring about peace between the Vir- 
ginians and the North, and to let the Virginia people 
govern themselves as soon as possible. But some of the 
Republicans who were with him, did not want any of 
those who fought on the southern side to be allowed to 
vote or to hold office, and they also wanted the negroes 
to vote. This would have meant that there would soon 
have been a government by the negroes, and the white 
people of Virginia began to oppose them in every way. 

"Reconstruction." — President Andrew Johnson had 
planned to do just as Pierpont was trying to do, but 
when the Virginia people elected congressmen in 1865, 
Congress would not receive them at all. This meant thai 
the government of Virginia did not suit the Northern 
Congress, and that it had to be "reconstructed" to fit 
their ideas. 

In order to carry out this "reconstruction," Congress 
passed ;i l;iw on March 2. 1867. making Virginia a mill- 



308 school HISTORY OF \ IRGIN1A 

tary district, and placed John M. Schofield, a Union 
general, in command. 

The Freedman's Bureau. — In the meantime. Congress 
also' passed a law allowing negroes to vote. As soon as 
this was done, it sent some officers to see that the negroes 
were not ill-treated by the whites, or did not suffer from 
hunger or sickness ; to help in providing schools for them ; 
to keep the whites and the negroes as friendly as possible, 
and to give to the negroes the land that had been taken 
away from the whites. These officers were the "Freed- 
man's Bureau," and the white people of Virginia hated 
them and their work. The negroes, who had been used 
to having masters to tell them what to do ami to support 
them, did not know how to take their freedom. They 
thought that "freedom" meant that they did not have 
to work any more, while, quite to the contrary, it meant 
that they did have to work to support themselves instead 
of being clothed and fed by their masters. Most of them 
either wandered idly all over the country, refusing to 
he hired and stealing food, or went to cities or towns 
where they had a still harder time. The white farmer 
i ould not get anybody to work in the fields, and bene* 
his crops suffered. In some instances the "Freedman'n 
Bureau" helped the negroes, and did a great deal of 
good ; but it did a great deal of harm in causing ani- 
mosity between them and their old masters. 

The Union League. — But another thing did more than 
this to cause trouble. Some Republicans formed a secret 
society called the "Union League" for the purpose of 
teaching the negroes to vote for the Republicans for 
office. They held their meetings at midnight with ;i lot 
of ceremonies, curious sounds, and clanking of chains 
in order to make the superstitious negroes afraid not to 
join and do as they said. So many negroes joined the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 309 

League that nearly all of them became Republicans, and 
when Congress gave permission to the Virginia people, 
white and black, in the fall of 1867, to elect a convention 
to make a new constitution, the Republicans had votes 
enough to elect 72 out of 105 delegates. In this election 
93,1 45 negroes and only 76,084 whites voted, and 25 of 
the delegates were negroes. The Republicans, includ- 
ing tlic negroes, thus had the larger number of votes in 
the convention and could make any kind of a constitu- 
tion they wanted.* 

The Conservatives Become Active. — The rest of the 
white people of Virginia, who were known as "Con- 
servatives," became very much alarmed at this election. 
They had not tried as hard as they should have done to 
elect "Conservatives" delegates, and their leaders now 
saw that unless they were to have the Republicans or 
"Radicals" and negroes rule them, they would have to 
arouse the people so as to get them to vote against the 
new constitution when the time came for all the citizens. 
white and colored, to say whether or not they 
wanted \t. There was a meeting of the chief Conserva- 
tive men held at Richmond in December, and, forgetting 
all their differences, they resolved to stand together. 
They said that they did not want slavery again, nor 
did they want to be unjust to the negroes in any way; 
but while they wanted Virginia to be loyal to the Union, 
they declared that they would not be ruled by their 
former skives. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1867-1868 was composed <>f about 65 
Radicals and 35 Conservatives. Most of the Conservative's urn' white 
Virginians, but the Radicals were ;i mixed lot. Among them wen- '_' I 
11 white Virginians, thirteen New Yorkers, and one each from 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maine. Vermont, Connecticut, South Carolina. Mary- 
land, and the District of Columbia. Besides these, among the Radicals 
were two from England, and one each from Ireland. Scotland and Canada, 
The northerners for the most part had come to Virginia to try their 
chances of making money and gaining influence among the negroes. 
Thev were known as "carpet-Daggers," and were held in great disdain 
by the native Virginians. 



:U<> SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Constitutional Convention of 1867-1868.— When 
the constitutional convention met soon afterwards, the 
Radicals and Conservatives had some very exciting and 
hitter dehates. The main questions were: (1) how should 
the people he taxed, (2) public schools, and (3) who 
should vote. The Radicals wanted land taxed the most, 
and not trades or persons, so that the land owners would 
have to pay most of the tax and the negroes very little ; 
this was so done. They also adopted a system of public 
schools, and they should be given the credit for doing 
a great good to Virginia in doing this. The negro dele- 
gates wanted it arranged so that children of both races 
should go to the same schools, but even the white Radicals 
voted against this. 

The greatest fight was over who should be allowed to 
vote. The Radicals finally made the new Constitution 
so that every man who had held any office under the con- 
federacy could not vote. But when in 1869. the con- 
stitution was given to the people to be accepted. tin- 
Conservatives had enough votes to reject that part of 
it, although the rest of it was accepted. 

Gilbert C. Walker Elected Governor.— In 1868. Gen- 
eral H. H. Wells, a radical Republican, had been made 
governor, but after the constitution was adopted many 
of the white Republicans grew tired of hearing about 
the rights of negroes and the like, and they named Gil- 
bert C. Walker, who so pleased the Conservatives that 
they joined in with the Republicans, and Walker was 
elected as the first governor under the new constitution. 

When the new Assembly met in October, there were 
27 negro members, but the majority of the white mem- 
bers were of the conservative party. One of the first 
things the Assembly did was to agree to the United States 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 311 

constitution, and Congress, in January, 1870, took Vir- 
ginia back into the Union nearly nine years after she 
had seceded. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. When did West Virginia become a separate state? What led 
to the separation? 

2. Tell about the ''Restored Government" of Virginia. 

3. How did Congress propose to "reconstruct" the government 
of Virginia? 

4. What was the Freedman 's Bureau .' 

5. What was the Union League? 

6. Who were the ' ' Conservatives ' ' ? 

7. Give an account of the constitutional convention of 1867- 
1868. What were the main questions before the convention? 

8. Who was elected governor in 1868? How many negroes were 
there in the Xew Assembly? What was one of the first things 
.lone by the Assembly? 



312 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



VIRGINIA SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 



1868 



PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 
STATES : 

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877). 
Kutherford B. Hayes (1877- 

1881). 
James A. Garfield (1881). 
Chester A. Arthur (1881- 

1885). 
Gimy,..- Cleveland (18S5-1889). 
Benjamin Harrison (1889- 

Grover Cleveland (1893-1897). 
William McKinlev (1897- 

1901). 
Theodore Roosevelt (1901- 

1909). 
William II. Taft (1909-1913). 
Woodrow Wilson (1913 ). 



GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: 

Gilbert C. Walker (1870-1874). 
James L. Kemper (1874-1S7S). 
F. W. M. Holliday (1878- 

1882). 
William E. Cameron (1882- 

1886). 
Fitzhugh Lee (1886-1890). 
Philip W. McKinney (1890- 

1894). 
Charles T. O'Ferrall (1894- 

1898). 
.1. Hoge Tyler (1898-1902). 
An, hew J. Montague (1902- 

1906) 
Claude A. Swanson (1906- 

1910), 
William II. 'Mann (1910- 

1914). 

1 1 en iv 'alter Stuart ( 1914- 
Th e history of Virginia since the Civil War is the 
story of how the people of what was once central and 
eastern Virginia — western Virginia having heen sepa- 
rated into a new state — struggled against the ruin, 
poverty, and discouragements that the war had brought, 
and successfully overcame these obstacles. In studying 
this part of Virginia's history, it is well to keep in mind 
that it really divides itself into two periods. One is from 
1868 until about 1885. when the state was busy trying to 
repair and replace what had been destroyed and when 
her people were getting used to new ways of farming. 
manufacturing, and living. The other period is from 
about 1885 until the present time, when rapid progress 
was made in nearly all lines. Especially is this true 
since 1004. 



SCHOOL EISTOBT OF VIRGINIA 313 

In this section of our history, we will study: first, the 
conditions after the war and how the people met their 
difficulties, as well as some of the chief events up to the 
present : and second, how the internal improvement debt 
was settled, political parties, the establishment of the 
public school system, farming' and manufactures, and 
finally the progress of the last few years. 

CONDITIONS AFTER THE WAR. 

Reasons for Discouragement. — "When General Lee and 
his ragged army surrendered at Appomattox and the 
brave men who had fought on the Southern side were 
bidden farewell by "Marse Robert," the outlook ap- 
peared dark indeed. This was more true of Virginia 
than any other state in the Confederacy, for Virginia 
had been the field of more battles and the ground for 
more of the military operations than any other state. For 
Pour long years the opposing armies had encamped and 
marched in her territory. Her farms had been stripped 
of provisions and cattle and her towns despoiled of com- 
merce and factories. The railroads were in bad repair, 
and the newly buill turnpikes and roads had became filled 
with wagon ruts. Thousands of the best citizens, plan- 
tation owners, farmers, merchants, doctors, lawyers, and 
artisans, had been killed, and those who remained were 
worn out by the terrible hardships they had endured. 
.Many of them were crippled or not fit to work because 
of their wounds. Others had never been accustomed to 
work in the fields and were ill prepared to undertake 
the raising of crops by I heir own hands. The slaves who 
had done their work and in whom they had invested large 
portions of their wealth, were now free to do as they 
pleased, and in their ignorance of what freedom meant. 



314 



school msroRi' of i rue ini a 



many of them refused to work for wages, or worked 
so irregularly that their services could not be depended 
upon. Some of them, on the other hand, remained faith- 
ful to their former owners, and the widows and children 




LYNCHBURG IN WAR TIME 

of many Virginians who had fallen in battle were saved 
h'oiii starvation by their former slaves. 

The lack of workers for farm and factory was only 
om- reason for discouragement. Hardly any cattle, 
horses, mules, sheep, or swine were left by the armies 
during the war. There was not only no one to guide 
the plow, but no means of plowing. The fields had been 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 315 

allowed to run to weeds; fences were gone; stables and 
barns either destroyed or in need of repair; homes were 
dilapidated and despoiled; farm implements and ma- 
chinery had lacked attention or had been stolen; and 
worse than even these, there was no money. Slaves 
could no longer be sold to obtain funds, for the money 
invested in slaves had been destroyed by one stroke of 
Lincoln 's pen. The savings of the people had been used 
up in the struggle to exist at home while fathers and 
brothers were away, and had disappeared entirely when 
the fall of the Confederacy made Confederate currency 
worthless. The lack of money meant that repairs could 
not be made, wages could not be paid to employ labor, 
and livestock could not be replaced on the farms, while 
many of the factories and business houses were bank- 
rupt and idle. 

The Amount of Losses in Virginia. — While it is im- 
possible to put a value on the men who lost their lives 
and who were crippled, it has been estimated that the 
war cost the Virginia people not less than a quarter of 
a billion dollars. The state itself lost over $26,000,000 
in canal and railroad improvements besides several mil- 
lion dollars in roads and bridges, and had spent millions 
to aid in keeping the armies in the field. The people 
lost, it was estimated, not less than $150,000,000 by the 
emancipation of the slaves, and fully half of what they 
possessed in other forms of property — a loss which was 
estimated at not less than $50,000,000. But these figures 
do not show the greatest loss. This was the loss of power. 
through the lack of workers, both while and negro, the 
destruction of property, and the absence of money, to 
produce food and to replace the property that was gone. 

Thus the situation must have seemed desperate indeed. 
To make it worse, if possible, adventurers from the North 



316 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

and from Europe flocked into Virginia to take advantage 
of the opportunities to buy land cheaply and to gain 
prominence for themselves by teaching irresponsible 
and ignorant negroes to vote. These "carpet-baggers," 
as they were called, made the situation almost unbearable 
for the white people of Virginia and were hated and 
despised. So hopeless was the outlook that hundreds 
of white people left Virginia after selling or abandoning 
their farms, and went to the western states. But many 
more bravely stayed, undergoing serious deprivations 
and disappointments, but making the best of things 
by working hard to retain their homes and land and to 
support their families. To the small farmer of middle 
Virginia this was not as difficult as it was to the planta- 
tion owners in eastern Virginia, who had little experience 
in manual labor. But the former planters did not shrink ; 
they went into the fields and did the work that their 
slaves had been accustomed to do, without any false 
pride or murmuring. Although their side had lost in 
Hie war, they were proud of having fought for Virginia 
and the Southern cause and they were still loyal to their 
stale in preferring to devote their lives to its upbuilding. 
General Lee's Example. — In patience and calmness in 
bitter adversity, in faithfulness to his state and in hope- 
fulness. General Lee set as great an example after the 
war was over as he had done in the years of hardships 
and sacrifice during the war. Although he was offered 
positions where his name would have brought him a 
high salary, he declined to profit by the fame that had 
come to him as the leader of the Confederate forces. 
He advised those who had fought under him to return 
to their homes, to submit to the new authority that the 
outcome of the war had placed upon them, and to remain 
as loyal to the future of Virginia as they had been to 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 317 

her past. From all the many opportunities that were 
open to him, lie chose the one in which he believed he 
could do the most good. This was in the presidency of 
Washington College in Lexington. The college was a 




WASHINGTON AXD I.KE TTXI VERK1TY, LEXINCTOX 



small one. and during the war it had been almost dosed 
because its students had enlisted as Confederate soldiers. 
When the war was over, it was without a president, its 
students were nearly gone, its buildings dilapidated, and 
its future xwy douhtj'ul. The trustees, after consider- 
ing the situation for some time, decided to offer the presi- 
dency to General Lee. They hardly dared hope tor a 
favorable answer, since they feared what they had to 
offer was insignificant in comparison with the other 
opportunities that were open to the greal leader. To 



318 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

their surprise General Lee accepted their offer because 
he felt that he could thus help to influence the young 
men of Virginia and the South to build up their homes, 
and train themselves for usefulness in their own land. 
He was not mistaken, for hundreds of former soldiers 
and other young men flocked to the little college where 
they could be educated under his supervision. At the 
(jiiiet little town of Lexington, General Lee remained 
until his death in 1870, devoting all his time and energies 
to his new work. He outlined plans for the college im- 
mediately after taking charge and shaped its course of 
study so as to benefit to the greatest possible degree the 
young men who had gathered there. He was as honored 
and revered by his students as he was by his soldiers. 

The body of Lee was placed in a mausoleum in the rear 
of the college chapel he had built on the campus. Years 
afterwards, the sculptor Valentine chiselled out of marble 
a recumbent statue of the great military leader and 
college president, which was placed in the rear of the 
rostrum in full view of the students who attend Wash- 
ington and Lee University, as the college was after- 
wards called, and where it can be seen by the hundreds 
of visitors who come to the historic place.* 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Tuto what periods is Virginia history since the Civil War 
divided? 

2. What reasons were there for discouragement in Virginia after 
the war? 

:'». Tell something of the losses caused by the war? 
4. What may be said of General Lee's example? Where * J i < 1 he 
spend his last years.' Where is his tomb? 

In Lexington also are buried the remains of Stonewall Jackson who 
had also taught in one of ihe famous schools in that place, the Virginia 
Military Institute. His former Lexington home, where he lived before the 
war began, has been remodelled into a hospital. At the Institute one 
of the buildings is named "Jackson Hall." 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

SOME LEADING EVENTS. 



REPAIR AND RESTORATION. 

The First Assembly Under the New Constitution — 
1870. — Although the convention which framed the new 
constitution was composed of more radicals than con- 
servatives, many of the most radical proposals were 
voted down after the conservatives had become active 
in arousing the white Democrats throughout the state. 
The conservatives continued their campaign after the 
convention ended and until the election of members of 
the Senate and the House of Delegates to form the first 
( reneral Assembly under the new constitution. The 
result was that when the Assembly met, the conservative 
Republicans and Democrats were in the majority, and 
could vote down the proposals of those radical Republi- 
cans and negroes who had been elected by the efforts of 
"carpet-baggers." 

This Assembly had the important work of organizing 
the state government according to the new constitution. 
The two greatest tasks were the establishment of a pub- 
lic school system and the debt question. Besides these, 
laws were passed providing for the levying and collect- 
ing of taxes, several state officers were named and the 
judges appointed. The Assembly also established a 
lunatic asylum for negroes near Richmond to take care 
of insane negroes who al this time were imprisoned in 
county .jails. En slavery days insane negroes were very 
\\-\v in number and wen- taken care of by their masters. 

The succeeding Assemblies between 1870 and 1880 
continued the work of organizing the stale government 
and of providing for new officers and hoards, but the 
debl question became of so great importance that all 



320 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

other matters were put aside. The first plan of dealing 
with the debt, as we shall see, was so expensive that 
there was little money available for the schools and 
other departments of the state government, and Vir- 
ginia had to wait for nearly thirty years before she was 
able to provide for better health regulations, bettet 
schools, the encouragement of better farming, and other 
measures so necessary for the welfare of her people. 

The Capitol Disaster, 1870. — Sixty-five people were 
killed and about 200 were injured, some of them seri- 
ously, in the collapse of a floor in the state capitol at 
Richmond. A large audience had gathered in the courl 
of appeals room, which was on the the third floor of the 
building; to hear a decision in a case in which much 
interest was being taken at that time. The case was 
whether or not the law passed by the General Assembly 
to allow the people of Richmond to elect a mayor was in 
violation of the new constitution. Henry H. Ellyson had 
been elected mayor, but (Jeorge Chahoon who had been 
appointed by the United States military authorities, 
claimed that the law was not valid. AVhile the decision 
was being read, the floor gave way and the audience 
plunged down amid falling timbers and furniture into 
the House of Delegates chamber below. 

The Railroads After the War. — There were about 1 :'».")<) 
miles of railroads in Virginia when the Civil War began 
in 1861, and new railroads were being planned to con- 
nect Virginia with the western part of Virginia (now 
"West Virginia) and the western stales. During the war 
and the reconstruction period they fell into bad repair. 
Many miles of track had been destroyed by the troops, 
and what was left had been nearly worn out because 
neither the state nor the companies owning the railroads 
had any funds to renew the ties, rails, and wires. The 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 321 

poverty of the Virginia people after the war and the 
absence of a state government until 1869 prevented any- 
thing being done for several years after the war ended. 

As we saw when we were studying the history of in- 
ternal improvements between 1830 and 1860, the state 
owned a large share in most of the railroads, because the 
state government had contributed much of the money to 
build them. Nearly all of the money thus contributed 
was borrowed, and the building of railroads had greatly 
increased the state debt. The new constitution adopted 
in 1869, however, forbade the state to borrow any money 
or to contribute any money to internal improvements. 
The railroads therefore had to look for funds from other 
sources. 

Repairing and Reorganizing the Railroads. — In 1870 
the General Assembly permitted three roads, the Peters- 
burg and Norfolk, the Southside, and the Virginia and 
Tennessee, to be combined into one road called the Atlan- 
tic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad, and the new road was 
given the right to borrow, by selling bonds, the sum of 
$15,000,000. Two-thirds of this amount was borrowed 
in Europe, am' the old tracks were repaired and new 
engines and cars were bought. As the result of bad 
management, however, the new company became bank- 
rupl and the railroad was sold to a new company in 
L881. Tins was the Norfolk and Western Railway Com- 
pany, which now owns the road. 

In the same way the state permitted the Richmond 
and Danville Railroad and the Orange and Alexandria 
Railroad (formerly the Orange, Charlottesville and 
Lynchburg Railroad) to borrow money and make repairs, 
Most of the money was borrowed in the northern states 
and some in Europe. These two roads now form a pari 
of the main line of the Southern Railway. 



322 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Rail- 
road was able to pay for most of its repairs without 
borrowing. The same was true of the Richmond and 
Petersburg Railroad and the Petersburg and Weldon 
Railroad, both of which are now parts of the Atlantic 
Coast Line. 

New Railroads Built. — The state government had con- 
tributed over two million dollars to the building of the 
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad from Charlottesville west- 
ward, but the road was not completed before the war and 
the company owning it became bankrupt. Several years 
elapsed after the reconstruction period was ended before 
the building of the road was again undertaken. This 
was done largely by northern capitalists, and thus the 
transportation route planned nearly a century before 
was completed. 

Two important new railroads were built in the Valley 
of Virginia, however, which had not been planned be- 
fore the war. One of these was the Valley Railroad, 
which was an extension of the old Harper's Ferry and 
Winchester Railroad, as far up the Valley as Lexington. 
This road, with the exception of the small piece between 
Harrisonburg and Strasburg belonging to the Southern 
Railway, now belongs to the Baltimore and Ohio. The 
other was the Shenandoah Valley from Shepardstown 
on the Potomac River to the Norfolk and Western Rail- 
road at Roanoke (then Big Lick). This road is now a 
branch of the Norfolk and Western. The Valley Rail- 
road opened up a transportation route from the Valley 
of Virginia to Baltimore, and the Shenandoah Valley 
Railroad opened a route from the Valley to Philadelphia. 
By these means the people of the Valley have been put 
into closer touch with these two cities than with any Vir- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 323 

inia cities, and the trade and business of the "garden 
spot of America"* has gone largely out of Virginia as 
the result. 

James River and Kanawha Canal Abandoned. — On 
the eve of the Civil War. it will be remembered, the state 
of Virginia had made a bargain with a French company 
to give up all rights to the James River and Kanawha 
Canal on certain conditions, but the beginning of hostil- 
ities prevented the contract from being carried out. The 
canal was used during the war, and the company owning 
it was able to keep it repaired sufficiently to allow navi- 
gation by packet and freight boats until about 1880. In 
1873, the state, after having spent on the canal before 
tlic war over $10,000,000, relinquished all claims upon 
the canal and the James River and Kanawha Company. 
Later the General Assembly incorporated the Richmond 
and Alleghany Railroad Company, authorizing it to pur- 
chase the property of the canal company and to use it 
as a railroad bed. In 1880 the property was thus sold 
and a railroad was soon built on the tow path of the 
old canal which George Washington had first suggested. 
This road was built from Richmond to Clifton Forge, 
where it connected with the Chesapeake and Ohio, and 
up the old branch canal banks to Lexington, where i1 
connected with the old Valley Railroad. The road now 
is the James River branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio. 

Commodore Maury's "Survey." — The willingness of 
northern and European men of wealth to invest money 
in Virginia railroads after the war was largely brought 
about by Commodore .Matthew Fontaine Maury, who 
wrote a book in 1868 entitled "A Physical Survey of Vir- 
ginia." This book told of the great natural resources in 
Virginia, and of the possibilities in commerce, manufac- 

"Vniii,;, save the Valley of Virginia tlii*. name .-is early .-i^ 1804, 



324 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



turing, and mining. It convinced capitalists that the 
building of railroads would open up these possibilities, 
because it was a careful, truthful statement of the facts 

by a man who was 
known all over the 
world for his 
achievements as a 
scientist, geogra- 
pher, and naviga- 
tor. M a u r y was 
kno w n as the 
"Pathfinder of the 
Seas." He had in- 
vented many valu- 
able devices in 
navigation and was 
the author of sev- 
e r a 1 scientific 
treatises. He had 
been honored by 
scientific societies 
both in this coun- 
try and abroad, 
and after render- 
ing valubale ser- 
vice to the Confed- 

MATTIIKW 1''. 1IAIKV 

erate cause during 
the Civil War. was at this time a professor at the Vir- 
ginia Military Institute. His "Survey" was widely read 
and resulted in millions of dollars being loaned to Vir- 
ginia railroads, thus aiding in their repairing and re- 
building at a time when the prospects were very gloomy. 




SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 325 



QUESTIONS. 

Tel] something <>f the work of the first Assembly under the 

new constitution. 

What great disaster occurred iu Kichmond in 1870? 

What was the condition of the railroads after the war"? 

Tell about the repair of and rebuilding of these roads. 

What were some of the new railroads built? 

When and why was the James River and Kanawha Canal 

abandoned? Tell about the sale of the property. 

What was Commodore Maury's "Survey"? 



PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT. 

State Board of Health Created, 1872. — The state board 
of health and vital statistics was created by the General 
Assembly in 1872, to consist of seven physicians ap- 
pointed by the governor. This was the first time Vir- 
ginia provided a means for caring for the health of her 
citizens except by occasional laws requiring vaccination. 
The new hoard was required to assist local health boards, 
to study the causes and prevention of disease, and to pro- 
vide a method for getting statistics of diseases, deaths 
and births. Tn 1874 county hoards of health were also 
created. Later on. between 1880 and 1890, a board of 
medical examiners to give examinations to those who 
wanted to practice medicine, a hoard of pharmacy, and 
;i board of dentistry were created. After 1890 provision 
was made for a hoard of embalmers and a hoard of ex- 
aminers of graduate nurses. .Many laws, recommended 
by these boards, to prevent disease and to improve health 
conditions have been passed. After the constitution of 
1902 was adopted, there was created a department of 
public health. 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Established, 1872.— 
With the assistance of the federal government, the Vir- 
ginia "Polytechnic Institute was opened in 1S72 for the 



326 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIEGINIA 

purpose of training young men in mechanics, science, 
and agriculture. Ten years before, Congress appropri- 
ated money received from the sale of public lands to 
establish in every state an institution of this kind. After 




VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, BLACKSBURG 

the Civil War ended, members of the General Assembly 
and a number of people from the southwest section of 
A^irginia offered the buildings and grounds of a school 
at Blacksburg known as the Olin Institute to the federal 
government, and Montgomery County agreed to give 
$20,000 if the new institute be established there. The 
offer was accepted, Virginia's share of the public lands 
money was turned over to the state, and the Virginia 
Polytechnic Institute was started. 

Virginia's share of the public lands money yields 
about $30,000 annually. Further appropriations by Con- 
gress were made in 1890 and 1907, which in 1913 yielded 
$75,000 annually. Thus in all over $105,000 is every 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 327 

year now available. Of this amount, however, one-third 
must go to a school for colored people, which gives very 
much the same kind of training as the V. P. I. This 
school is the Hampton Normal and Industrial Institute, 
which was established at Hampton. 

First State Department of Agriculture, 1877. — 
Although Edmund Ruffin, the first "scientific farmer'' 
in Virginia, had organized the Virginia State Agricul- 
tural Society in 1843 and was made agricultural com- 
missioner in 1854, the state had never appropriated any 
money for better farming until 1877 when the State 
Department of Agriculture was created. This new de- 
partment was under the direction of a commissioner of 
agriculture, who was permitted to appoint a geologist 
jmd a chemist, and their duties were to examine soils and 
fertilizers, and to study questions relating to farming, 
fruit growing, dairying, and sheep raising. In 1888 . 
board of agriculture and immigration was created to 
manage the department. 

Centennial at Yorktown. — The year 1881 marked the 
one-hundredth anniversary of the surrender of Corn- 
wallis, and the occasion was celebrated with a brilliant 
military and naval review a1 Yorktown. The United 
States sent hundreds of soldiers and many of its finest 
warships, and the celebration lasted nearly a week. 
Thousands of visitors came from all over Virginia and 
from other states, while the nations of Europe sent 
special representatives, and some of the descendants of 
the French and German officers who were with AVashing- 
ton at the siege of Yorktown were also present. 

Virginia Experiment Station, 1888. — Congress in 1887 
also appropriated $30,000 a year for an agricultural Ex- 
periment Station in each state for the purpose of having 
the soils analyzed and of finding out how to stop diseases 



328 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

of plants and animals and how to obtain larger and 
better crops. The General Assembly in 1888 made the 
station a part of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and 
later began giving the station $5,000 a year to publish 
bulletins. These bulletins tell the results of the experi- 
ments made and give advice to the farmers how to raise 
better crops and stock, and are sent out all over the 
state. 

First Electric Street Cars, 1888.— To Richmond be- 
longs the distinction of being the first city in America 
to have street cars operated by electricity. The first 
line was begun on Clay Street in 1887 in Richmond and 
finished in the following year. Previous to that time 
street cars were pulled chiefly by horses and mules, 
although cables were used in some cities, and nearly all 
the larger towns in Virginia, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Peters- 
burg, and Richmond, bad the old style "horse ears" on 
tracks in their principal streets. Many of them retained 
the horse cars until electric trolleys were put in between 
1890 and 1900. 

"Boom Times," and the "Panic" of 1893. — From 
1890 to 1893 the people of the entire country were 
too anxious to become prosperous quickly and became 
reckless in starting up new businesses. More industries 
were established than were needed to produce the articles 
required by the people, and in starting these enterprises 
large sums of money were borrowed from those who had 
savings. When the industries failed to sell their goods 
and the new companies could not make profits enough 
to pay interest on the money they borrowed, hundreds 
of tli em went into bankruptcy. This caused all of those 
who had loaned money to fear that they would not get 
it back, and they began to demand payment. A panic 
occurred and hundreds more businesses became bank- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 329 

rapt because they could uot borrow or secure money to 
repay the demands. 

In Virginia, many of these enterprises were started. 
Most of them were land companies. The feeling of too 
great hopefulness led Virginians to believe that the time 
was soon coming when towns and cities would grow up 
everywhere. Tn almost every village and town land 
companies were formed, nearby fields were bought and 
mapped out into streets and lots, the lots to be sold at 
high prices, in the belief that people would come to buy 
and live. Companies were formed to manufacture all 
sorts of articles, and fine hotels were built in anticipa- 
tion of the population that was expected. Farmers mort- 
gaged and sold their farms and thousands of other 
people took their savings of years to buy lots in the new 
•"cities" and shares in new industries. These were the 
"boom times" of 1890 to 1893 when people were ap- 
parently crazy over great "prospects," each anxious 
to have a part in the sudden wealth and prosperity that 
they believed was coming to Virginia. 

The trouble was that there was no real reason for 
being so confident except the belief of the people who 
wen- often misled by designing promoters. So thai 
when the panic came in 1893. the great schemes and 
plans for factories and towns proved to be nothing but 
"castles in the air." The land companies failed, as did 
most of the others, and the money invested in them was 
lost, leaving the people much poorer than before and 
disillusioned and diseouraged. Even yet some of the 
vacanl lots and streets planned twenty years ago. hotels 
and other buildings constructed in the "boom times." 
are here to remind us that "getting rich quick" is a 
dangerous as well as a false road to what some people 

call ' 'success. '" 



330 SCHOOL HISTOEi! OF I IEGIN1A 

Virginians and the War with Spain, 1898. — Sym- 
pathy for the people of Cuba, owned and governed by 
Spain, who were being oppressed by their rulers, turned 
the attention of the American people to that island in 
1895, and much indignation was felt in this country, 
north and south, over the accounts of injustice and 
cruelty. This sympathy caused the Spaniards to regard 
Hie United States with suspicion. As the months passed, 
talk of forcing the Spaniards to stop their oppression 
in Cuba and of protecting Americans and American 
property there, was widespread. Fitzhugh Lee. a Vir- 
ginian, was sent to Havana as consul general represent- 
ing the United States. In those difficult days lie proved 
himself to be cautious and wise as well as to be the 
courageous man he had already shown himself while a 
Confederate officer in the Civil War. 

On the night of February 15, 1808. the American 
battleship Maine was blown up in the Havana harbor, 
and 260 men were killed. General Lee advised careful 
investigation first, and said: "I do not think it (a sub- 
marine mine which was thought to have caused the ex- 
plosion) was put there by the Spanish government. I 
think probably it was an act of four or five subordinate 
(Spanish) officers." hi spite of his wise caution, the be- 
lief was general that the Spanish government was re- 
sponsible for it, and the feeling against Spain was so 
strong that on April 20, 1898, war was declared. 

The story of the war belongs in the history of the 
United States, but it is a part of Virginia's history to 
note that when the call for volunteers was made, thou- 
sands of young men in Virginia responded and joined 
the volunteer army. Militia companies in every city 
and large town were recruited, the new soldiers pre- 
pared themselves to go to the battlefield in Cuba, and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 331 

went into camp at Camps Alger and Lee. The war was 
so soon ended, however, that few of the Virginia troops 
ever got nearer Cnha than Jacksonville and Tampa, 
Florida, although some of them who were in the regular 
army were engaged in active fighting and distinguished 
themselves. The effect of the war was to help the North 
and the South to forget past differences as well as to show- 
that the people of Virginia and the South were ready to 
fight for a united country. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1900-1901. — From 
1870 the people of Virginia had been living under the 
constitution which had been framed by a convention 
dominated by white radicals and negro Republicans. 
While the conservatives of 1868 and 1869 had been able 
to prevent anything very obnoxious and dangerous to 
their beliefs and manner of living from being made a 
part of this important document and had lived under 
its provisions for thirty years, there were many pro- 
visions which needed to be changed because they were 
not suited to the newer times. A call for a convention 
was made, delegates were elected, and in 1900 the work 
of framing a new constitution was begun. John Goode. 
of Bedford county, was elected president, and among 
the members of the convention were some of the ablesl 
men in the state. 

The chief matters discussed were the right to vote 
taxation, public schools, and the regulation of railroads 
and other corporations. The question of how to prevent 
ignorant people, among whom were many negroes, from 
voting, occupied a great deal of attention. Finally ;t 
provision, as drawn up by Carter Class, of Lynchburg, 
was adopted without much change. This required all 
except former Confederate soldiers to pay poll taxes 
for the three previous y< ars six months before an election 



332 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

and to be able to tell the meaning of the Constitution, 
before being allowed to vote. The result of the pro- 
vision has been that a number of whites and thousands 
of negroes unwilling and unable to pay their poll taxes 
and unable to read or write are no longer voters. The 
convention also provided that changes in the methods of 
taxation could be made in 1913, and made some changes 
in the public school system, such as allowing the Assem- 
bly and the districts, counties, towns, and cities to spend 
more money on schools, and providing that the State 
Superintendent of Public Instruction should be elected 
by the people instead of by the State Board of Educa- 
tion. To regulate railroads, steamship lines, electric 
lines and corporations, the convention proposed that a 
new body, the State Corporation Commission, should 
be created. 

The constitution as adopted by the convention was 
ratified by the voters, as provided for in the new con- 
stitution, in 1902. Since then amendments to it have 
been passed allowing city and county treasurers and 
commissioners of the revenue to hold office for more 
than one term, and permitting cities to change their 
forms of government as their citizens believe to be best. 

The Jamestown Exposition, 1907. — Exactly three 
hundred years after the first permanent colony of white 
men was established at Jamestown in 1607, a great ex- 
position was held near Norfolk on Hampton Roads to 
commemorate the event. Nearly all the states of the 
Union contributed to the exposition, and the largest fleet, 
composed of war ships from nearly every nation in the 
world, which had ever assembled in the Western Hemis- 
phere gathered in the harbor. Virginia, as the mother 
state and as the first of the thirteen colonies, was the 
center of the occasion, and in spite of the fact that the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 333 

delay on the part of the United States government in 
completing its share of the exposition somewhat marred 
it, the celebration and exposition was one of the most 
unique and beautiful ever held. General Fitzhugh Lee 
was elected president of the exposition, but after his 
death in 1906, Harry St. George Tucker was made 
president. 



QUESTIONS. 

Tell about the establishment of the State Board of Health. 

Give account of the establishment of the Virginia Polytechnic 

Institute. 

When was the State Department of Agriculture created ? Who 

was Edmund Euffin ? 

What was the Yorktown Centennial? 

When and where w-as the Virginia Experiment Station estab- 

lished? 

When and where were the first electric street cars operated? 

What were the "Boom Times"? What was the "Panic'' of 

1893? What caused it? 

Give an account of the pari taken by Virginians in the tvai 

with Spain. 

Tell Pboul the constitut'onal convention of 1900-1901. What 

were the chief matters discussed? 

What event was celebrated by the Jamestown Exposition? 



THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT DEBT. 

Virginia's Debt of $45,000,000 in 1870.— Tn our study 
of Virginia's history before the Civil War, it was shown 
that the people with the help of the state government 
undertook a large number of expensive internal improve- 
ments in the form of railroads, turnpikes, canals, bridges, 
and making rivers navagable. Between L784 and 186] 
nearly $70,000,000 was spent on these improvements. 
A large part of this amount was furnished by the peo- 
ple in subscriptions to the stock of the companies formed 
to undertake the improvements, but over half of it was 



334 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

furnished by the state government. Most of the part 
contributed by the state was borrowed by means of sell- 
ing its promises to pay at later dates (these promises were 
called "bonds") on which the state had to pay interest. 
The state had also agreed, when borrowing this money. 
to set aside a certain amount (a "sinking fund") each 
year until there was enough to pay it back. 

This debt in 1860 amounted to about $30,000,000. Dur- 
ing the ten years of war and the reconstruction, the state 
government had not been able to pay any interest to the 
holders of its bonds nor had it been able to set aside a 
sinking fund. By 1870, therefore, the whole debt, in- 
cluding the unpaid interest for the ten years, had grown 
to about $45,000,000. Thus in addition to the other 
discouragements and trials, the people had to face the 
burden of this great debt. 

West Virginia's Share of the Debt. — When the Gen- 
eral Assembly first met in 1869, one of the most press- 
ing things to be done was to provide for some means of 
dealing witli the debt. After much discussion the As- 
s-Middy in 1870 decided to undertake to pay only two- 
thirds of the debt, leaving the other third ($15,000,000) 
to be paid by West Virginia. This was done because the 
money had been borrowed by the people of Virginia be- 
fore the war, including not only what is now Virginia, 
but also that part of Virginia which was divided to make 
a new state, and because much of the money borrowed 
was for internal improvements to help the western sec- 
tion of old Virginia. In 1871 the Assembly decided to 
pay six per cent, interest on almost all of the remaining 
two-thirds (about $30,000,000) to the holders of the 
bonds. 

Funders and Readjusters. — Tt was soon seen, how- 
ever, that there was not enough revenue from taxes to 



school HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 335 

provide for this interest and to pay the expenses of the 
state government and of the public school system which 
was being started. The total income of the state at 
this time was about $2,500,000 annually. Six per cent, 
interest on $30,000,000 would be $1,500,000 a year, to 
say nothing of providing for a sinking fund, leaving 
very little to pay for the schools and the state govern- 
ment. Taxes already were as high as the people could 
afford to pay. What was to be done? 

In spite of the difficulty, there were some who still 
favored paying six per cent, interest because they be- 
lieved that it would be dishonorable not to do so. Those 
who took this ground were called "flinders." Others 
pointed out that it was impossible to keep the full pro- 
mises made years ago, and that the only way open was 
to readjust the rate of interest and the debt, and pay 
only what the state could afford. Those who took this 
view of the problem were called " readjust ers. " The 
debt question began to be discussed everywhere in Vir- 
ginia, and Democrats and Republicans forgot their old 
party lines and became Funders and Readjusters. The 
impossibility of doing what the Funders proposed, how- 
ever, caused the Readjusters' proposals to be the more 
popular. 

In the meantime the state needed money badly for 
expenses, for the charitable institutions, such as asy- 
lums, and for the state colleges and the public schools. 
The county jails were filled with Lunatics because the 
asylums could not provide for them, and in 1878 and 
1879 many of the public schools had to be closed. The 
Assembly tried in every way to put off the payment of 
the interest on the debt, but could find no method of 
doing it without passing a new law. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Moderates and Radicals. — The Readjusters disagreed 
among themselves on the best way of getting rid of the 
heavy expense. The "moderate" Readjusters believed 
that the holders of the bonds could be persuaded to ac- 
cept a lower rate 
of interest. The 
"radical'* Read- 
justers were in fa- 
vor of not only a 
lower rate of inter- 
est, but of paying 
no interest at all 
on that part of the 
debt as it stood in 
1870, which repre- 
sented unpaid in- 
terest during the 
war and r e c o n - 
struction. 

T h e Moderates 
were in control of 
the Assembly, and 
Frederick W. M. 
Ilolliday. a Moder- 
ate, had been elect- 
ed governor in 
1877. In 1879 the 
bondholders agreed 
to a reduction in the rate of interest. The Assembly 
passed a law (known as the McCulloch act) which pro- 
vided for taking up the old bonds and issuing new bonds 
in their stead, to be paid back in forty years, bearing 




WILLIAM MATIOXK 



SCHOOL HISTOEY OF VIRGINIA 337 

i'oui' per cent, interest.* This law reduced the interest 
one-third, from $1,500,000 In $1,000,000 a year. 

The McGulloch law did not satisfy the Radicals, and led 
by General William Mahone and H. H. Riddleberger, 
they made a vigorous campaign among the people in 
favor of cutting down the debt. The Moderates were 
led by Governor Holliday and John W. Daniel. The 
Piadicals pointed out that the state was nearly bank- 
rupt, that many schools were closed, that money was 
needed for the University and other high institutions 
and for the asylums, and that taxes were already high 
enough. They claimed that the bond holders ought not 
to expect the state to pay interest on that part of the 
debt which represented unpaid interest during the war 
and reconstruction. The Moderates, on the other hand, 
urged that it would be better for the state to do without 
some things it needed than to repudiate any portion of 
tlie debt which it had promised to pay years ago. The 
campaign of 1879 was one of the most exciting ever held, 
as everybody had become stirred up over the debt ques- 
tion. When the election was held, it was found that more 
Radical candidates for the Senate and the House of 
Delegates had been elected than Moderates. 

The Radical Assembly then passed a bill prepared by 
Kiddleberger, but Governor Holliday. a Moderate, ve 
toed it. In order to have the Riddleberger bill made a 
law the Radicals saw that it would be necessary to have 
a Radical governor elected. 

The Radical Readjusters in Power. — In the fall of 
1881 a new governor was to be elected. The Radicals 
named for their candidate William E. Cameron and the 

Tins was an average rats. The bill provided for three per rem. 
interest for the first ton years, four per cent, for twenty yenrs, and five 
per cent, lor ten years, thus allowing the rate to he lowest at first when 

ih" need for money was so pressing. 



338 SCHOOL HISTORY OF YIRGINIA 

Moderates named John W. Daniel.* Mahone, who in- 
fluenced a large number of negro voters, persuaded 
many Republican voters to join the Radicals, and with 

Riddleberger and his 
followers, succeeded 
in electing Cameron. 
The next General 
Assembly again 
passed the Riddleber- 
ger bill and it became 
a law this time. The 
new law not only re- 
pudiated that part of 
the old debt which 
represented unpaid 
interest between 1860 
and 1870, thus reduc- 
ing the debt to about 
$21,000,000, but it 
cut down the rate of 
interest to three per 
cent. 

The four years un- 
john w. daniel der Governor Cam- 

eron are known as the "Readjuster days." By 1885 
.the bitterness between Readjusters and Moderates had 
largely passed away. General Mahone and Riddleberger 
had turned Republicans and the campaign of that year 
was 1 iet ween the old parties, Republicans and Democrats. 
General Fitzhngh Lee, a nephew of Robert E. Lee and 
a distinguished soldier in the Confederate army, was the 
Democratic candidate for governor, and John S. Wise, 
a son of Henry A. Wise, was the Republican candidate. 

See Appendix A. 




school EIST0B7 OF VIRGINIA 339 

Lee was elected and Democrats gained control of the 
Assembly. They had promised, however to allow the 
Riddleberger law to remain unchanged. 

The Settlement of the Debt.— In 1890 the holders of 
Virginia bonds, who lived chiefly in New York and in 
England, offered to make a final settlement. An arrange- 
ment was made to issue new bonds for most of the old 
ones and to make provisions for paying off the bonds. 
Every year now the state of Virginia pays off some of 
these bonds by setting aside annually one-half of one 
per cent, of the entire debt. In time the whole debt 
will be repaid. 

West Virginia for many years refused to pay her 
share of the debt. Virginia offered in 1894, 1900, and 
1905 to make a settlement with the newer state, but 
(very time West Virginia refused to accede to any re- 
quest. The holders of the West Virginia bonds then 
asked the state of Virginia to sue West Virginia for 
the money Avith the interest, none of which had been 
paid, and in 1906 suit was begun in the Supreme Court 
of the United States. After several years had been 
spent in study of what West Virginia owed and in ex- 
amining the claims of both sides, the Supreme Court 
decided in favor of Virginia. 



Ol'KSTIOXS. 



1. What was Virginia's <lel>t in 1870? How was this debt made! 

2. Why has an effort been made to get West Virginia to pay a 
part ef this debt .' 

::. Win. were known as Flinders? Who as Readjustee? 

I. Who were the Moderates? Who the Radicals? Who were the 
Leaders of the Radicals? 

.-,. When .li.l the Radfcal Readjustee come into power in Vir- 
ginia ? 

■:. What attempts have beer, ma,!.' to settle the deb1 .' 



340 school HISTORY OF I1RGIXIX 

POLITICAL PARTIES IN VIRGINIA. 

Sectional Feeling- Ended. — The bitter antagonism 
between eastern and western Virginia which grew up 
before the Civil War, was practically ended when West 
Virginia was made a separate state in 1863. Since then 
1he people, without much regard to section, have divided 
according to their beliefs on the questions in which they 
were interested. These divisions were : Conservatives and 
Radicals, from 1869 to 1870; Funders and Readjusters, 
from 1870 to 1876; Moderates and Radicals, from 1876 
to 1885; and Republicans and Democrats, from 1885 
until the present time. During the last few years, the 
Socialist party has increased in numbers, although it is 
still smaller than the Republican party in Virginia. 

The Democrats Come Into Control in 1885. — In our 
study of the Reconstruction period and of the settlement 
of the internal improvement debt, we saw that the first 
political parties, the Conservatives and Radicals, were 
lined up chiefly on the question of carpet-bagger and 
negro rule in the election of delegates to the constitu- 
tional convention of 1868 and the first General Assembly 
under the new constitution of 1869. From 1870 until 
1885, the people, while divided to some extent in the 
same way that the people of the nation were divided — 
into Republicans and Democrats — largely forgot their 
differences on national questions and became divided 
over various methods of settling the debt. When that 
question was practically settled, the old lines of Re- 
publicans and Democrats showed up again. Riddle- 
berger and Mahone. both of whom had been radical 
Readjusters, turned Republican and we saw that John 
S. Wise, their candidate for governor, was defeated by 
Fitzhueh Lee. the Democratic candidate. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 341 

In 1889 Mahone, who had been United States Senator 
from Virginia, but whose greatest ambition was to be 
governor, was himself the Republican candidate. He 
was opposed by Philip jf. McKinney, a Democrat. This 
campaign was the last fight in which the Republicans 
ever came near electing a governor. McKinney was 
elected, and since then the Democrats have always elected 
their candidate. 

"Free Silver" in 1893 and 1897.— In 1893 the Demo- 
crats disagreed on the "free silver" question. This 
question came up as the result of hard times and the 
collapse of the "boom period." It was believed by 
many that if the United States were to coin as much 
silver money as was needed without charging for mint- 
ing it and to make silver dollars equal to gold dollars, 
there would be more money and everybody would be 
better off. It was not a question of interest to Virginia 
alone : the people of the entire nation were divided on 
it. Those who favored the new idea were called "Free 
Silverites" aiid nominated J. Hoge Tyler for governor: 
those who opposed it were called "Gold Democrats" 
and nominated Charles T. O'Ferrall. O'Ferrall was 
tie. -led. But in 1896 when William Jennings Bryan. 
,i Free Si I write was nominated by the Democrats of 
the nation for the Presidency of the United States, the 
Virginia Democrats voted for him. Although Bryan was 
defeated, his leadership served to strengthen the "Free 
Silver " side among the Democrats for a time, and in the 
following year Tyler was elected governor. 

The free silver question soon died down, however, 
and in 1901. the only question before the Democrats was 
that of which man to choose for their candidate. Andrew 
Jackson Montague and Claude A. Swanson were the 
two men most prominently mentioned and after an inter- 






•'»42 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

esting campaign, the Democratic convention named 
Montague. His Republican opponent was easily de- 
feated. 

Primary Elections. — Up until 1903, the Democrats 
had nominated their candidates by means of a conven- 
tion. This convention was composed of delegates selected 
at mass meetings of Democratic voters all over the state. 
In 1901 the Democratic convention decided that in the 
future they would hold "primary" elections among 
themselves, before the regular election, to elect their can- 
didates, instead of choosing them in conventions. The 
first "primary," as a primary election is called, was 
held in 1903 to elect Democratic candidates for the House 
of Delegates and local officers. At first "viva voce" 
voting, the method used in Virginia from early days, 
was employed. In viva voce voting each person as he 
voted, called out aloud who he wanted to be elected. 
Many voters did not like to do this because they feared 
they would offend neighbors and friends who wanted 
some other man to he elected. This caused a large 
number of voters to stay away from the election places 
oi polls. In 1905 a system of secret voting, known as 
the Australian system because it was first used in 
Australia, was adopted and has been used ever since. 

Elections, 1905 to 1910. — When the time came for 
the election of a governor again, in 1905. Claude A. 
Swanson who had been defeated by Montague four years 
before, was again a candidate in the Democratic pri- 
mary for election. He was at that time a member of 
Congress from the Fifth district. He was opposed by 
former Judge William Hodges Mann, then a state senator 
and the author of the Mann temperance law. and by 
Captain Joseph E. Willard. Swanson was nominated 
by a large vote and was elected easily over his "Republi- 
can opponent. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 343 

Tn 1909 there were only two candidates for the 
Democratic nomination in the primary. Judge Mann 
was again a candidate, and he was opposed by former 
Congressman Harry St. George Tucker. Mann was 
nominated by a small majority over Tucker and was 
afterwards elected without much opposition over the 
Republican nominee. 

Governor Stuart's Election. — In 1913 there was but 
one candidate for the Democratic nomination for gov- 
ernor. He was Henry C. Stuart of Russell county and 
lit was nominated without opposition. The Republicans 
did not have any candidate, and the Socialist and Social- 
ist-Labor candidates received very few votes. Stuart 
was thus elected almost without opposition, and he be- 
came governor with less opposition than any candidate 
since the Civil War. He was inaugurated with brilliant 
ceremony in January, 1914, having been given practi- 
cally the unanimous support of all the people of the 
state, and the good will and wishes of all factions. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Name the political parties that have existed in Virginia at 

various periods since the Civil War. 
•2, When did the Democrats come into eontro] of the state go\ 

eminent again? Who was their candidate for governor! 

Wlio was the Republican candidate? 
•">. Tell about the "Free silverites " and "Gold Democrats." 
I. When were primary elections first held in Virginia! 

5. Tell about elections from 1905 to 1910. 

6. Who was elected governor in 19139 What is said of his 
election? 



344 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 

ITS ESTABLISHMENT. 

Jefferson's Ideas Realized. — Thomas Jefferson's idea 
of a public school system for the education of all the 
white children in the state, beginning with county pri- 
mary schools and through intermediate schools to a state 
university, was, as we have seen, only partly realized 
before the Civil War. The University of Virginia was 
established to be the top of the school system, but there 
were no public intermediate or high schools, and the 
primary schools were not free to ally except the children 
of poor parents. True it was that any county could estab- 
lish a system of schools free to all if it chose to do so. 
but the people of the county had to supply all the money 
themselves. Tn some counties the children of nearly all 
classes of people went to the free or "charity" schools, 
but there was no state system. The intermediate schools 
were private academies, and most of the primary schools 
were conducted by private persons. 

In our study of the history of education in the ante- 
bellum days we saw. however, that the people of central 
and western Virginia had often asked the General As- 
sembly to provide public schools for all white children, 
and that the idea had grown in favor as time went on, 
until just before the war began there was a wide move- 
ment for a state public school system. It was not a new 
thing, therefore, in the convention which met to draw up 
a new constitution in 1868, and nearly everybody favored 
it. Some of the Radicals, composed of carpet-baggers 
and negroes, wanted to force both white and negro 
children to attend the same school, but even some of 
the Radicals opposed this and. with the Conservatives, 
voted down the proposal. When the constitution was 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF FIXGIN1A 345 

adopted in 1869, it provided for a state public school 
system and separate schools for white and colored. 

The Establishment of a Public School System, 1870.— 
Although the Assembly of 1869-1870 was controlled by 
Conservatives, it obeyed the constitution and passed laws 
for organizing the system. The public schools, as thus 
provided, were to be controlled by a state board of edu- 
cation composed of three persons, the governor, the at- 
torney general, and the' state superintendent of public 
instruction. This board was to appoint in each county 
and city a superintendent of schools, and in each magis- 
terial district three school trustees, who were to provide 
for school houses and elect teachers. In 1871 the As- 
sembly changed this plan slightly by providing that all 
the trustees in any county or city, together with the 
superintendent of schools, were to compose the county 
or city school board. In 1877 another change was made. 
This created a county trustee electoral board in each 
county, composed of the superintendent of schools, the 
county judge, and the commonwealth's attorney, whose 
duty it was to elect the trustees. Thus the state board 
of education was relieved of that duty. This plan of 
organization continued until the constitution of 1902 
was adopted. 

Ruffner, the First State Superintendent, 1870-188?.— 
There were a number of applicants for the position of 
State Superintendent of Public Instruction when the As- 
semblv of 1869-1870 met, hut William Henry Ruffner* 
was urged for the place by Robert TC. Lee. then presi- 
dent of Washington College, and was unanimously 
elected. Next to Jefferson himself, Ruffner did more 
for public education in Virginia than any one man in 
the histOFV of the state. He had the hard task of 



34(i SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

organizing the school system without enough money and 
with considerable opposition, during a period when 
politics and the debt question made it difficult to get 
the attention and support of the people. There was op- 
position from three sources to the public schools. First, 
to the people of the eastern section of the state and to 
the wealthier classes of people all over the state, the 
free schools were looked upon in the same way that 
"charity" schools were regarded before the war. It 
was felt by many parents that to send their children to 
the public schools meant confessing that they were too 
poor to pay for tuition. The public schools were looked 
upon as schools for the "common" people, where the 
children of cultured, educated parents would have to 
associate with the children of uncultured and ignorant 
people. Thus both pride and prejudice existed. Opposi- 
tion to free schools also came from several religious de- 
nominations because it was believed by many that the 
churches ought to educate the children according to 
their own religious beliefs as well as their own notions 
of education. A number of church schools were started 
up, chiefly academies, to prepare young men for the 
church colleges, and seminaries for young ladies. A 
third kind of opposition came from some who favored 
public schools but who felt that the state was not finan- 
cially able to establish such a system and ought not to 
undertake it at that time. 

Although Ruffner himself did not approve of some 
of the provisions, he did the best he could under the 
eireumstanees. The decision to pay a high rate of inter- 
est on the state debt took over half of the revenue of the 
state, and left only a little over half a million dollars 
a year for schools. "With this sum. over 2,900 school 
houses were opened, with 130.000 pupils. 38.500 of whom 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 347 

were colored, and with 3000 teachers, nearly 500 of whom 
were colored. Nearly all the schools were one room 
schools and 1725 of them were taught in log cabins. 
No new school houses were built until 1875, the public 
schools being taught in houses formerly used by private 
and "old field" schools and in vacant cabins or rooms. 

For the next few years, until 1879, there was available 
for the public schools nearly a million dollars a year, 
but the number of pupils enrolled had also nearly dou- 
bled. The first year the public schools were opened, the 
average length of the time was less than five months. 
By careful management Ruffner succeeded in lengthen- 
ing the term nearly three weeks by 1877. In 1879, how- 
ever, there was a ''starving time" for the schools. The 
amount of money available was cut in half by the pay- 
ments for interest on the debt, and half of the schools 
could not be opened at all. The Readjusters came into 
power soon after that, however, and the amount of 
money which could be used for the schools gradually in- 
creased because the debt payments were made less and 
the revenue from taxes grew larger. 

A Period of Poor Schools, 1882-1902.— Ruffner re- 
tired in 1882 after having served twelve years as state )< 
superintendent of public instruction. He left for his 
successor a greater opportunity than he had ever had 
to improve the schools. The opposition to the public 
school from all sources was slowly dying out and each 
year there was more money available from the state. 
Put, while, for the most part, the state superintendents 
after his day until 1905 were faithful to their duties, 
they were not fitted for the position. The schools 
"ran themselves." In some counties where there were 
good county superintendents, the schools were improved, 
and in nearly all the cities progress was made. As a 



> 



348 . SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 

general rule, however, there was no one to guide the 
school system. These conditions lasted for over twenty 
years, and the people came actually to believe that the 
schools they had were good enough. The state spent 
only about $1.30 a year on each child who went to school 
regularly. As late as 1900 nearly twelve hundred of the 
school buildings were log houses. The average salary 
paid men teachers in 1882 was only $29.47 a month for 
less than six months in a year; in 1900 men teachers 
were paid on an average only three dollars more a month 
for six months. The women teachers, on an average, re- 
ceived $25.61 a month in 1882; in 1900 they were getting 
only fifty some cents a month more. In 1882 there were 
more men teachers than women ; in 1900 there were con- 
siderably over twice as many women teaching as men. 
Except in the larger cities no high schools with a four 
year course existed, although in about thirty graded 
schools in 1900 some high school branches were taught. 
The result was that the colleges and universities in the 
state had to take students who were unprepared and it 
was impossible for the higher institutions to have en- 
trance requirements. 



QUESTIONS. 

What were Jefferson's ideas about education.' 
When was the public school system established? 
Who was the first state Superintendent? Under what diffi- 
culties did he labor, .' 

Give some account of school conditions in Virginia during 
Ruffner 's term. 
What is said of the Virginia schools from 1882 to 1902? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



THE EDUCATIONAL AWAKENING. 

The Revival of Education. — Toward 1900,* however. 
it was realized by a number of men and women in Vir- 
ginia that the schools must be improved so that the 
people of the state could be better prepared for work 
and citizenship. Tn 1902 Harry St. George Tucker, the 
son of Congressman John Randolph Tucker who had 
been a famous teacher of law in the Washington and Lee 
University, and Dr. Robert Frazer, were selected by the 
Southern Education Board to make speeches all through 
the state urging the people to have better schools. This 
they did effectively for eighteen months. The teachers 
themselves took part in the movement and, under the 
leadership of R. C. Stearnes, then the president of the 
State Teachers' Association, planned methods by which 
they could improve their own work and preparation for 
teaching, in 1904 as the result of a meeting in Norfolk, 
a number of men and women who had become thoroughly 
interested in the cause of better schools formed, with 
Governor .Montague's aid. the Virginia Co-operative 
Education Commission with Dr. S. C. Mitchell as its 
head. Under Dr. Mitchell's active leadership, the Com- 
mission planned a great campaign throughout the state 
and set forth the following "platform" or list of objects 
they sought to accomplish: 

*When the constitutional convention met in 1900 to frame a new con- 
stitution, one of the first things undertaken was the providing of more 
money for schools and changing the personnel of the state board oi 
tion. To the governor, attorney-general, and state superintendent, were 

added five others, three Of whom were to lie educators from the Higher state 
institutions and two were to be eounty and city superintendents. The 
state superintendent was to be elected' by the state instead of by the 
General Assembly. The only other change made was in the membership 
of the county trustee electoral board, private citizens being named to 
take the place of the county judges, who were abolished, on the board. 
The state hoard of education created a state board of examiners which 
lasted for several years, but this was afterwards abolished. State Super 
visors of certain kinds of schools we're later appointed by the state board 
of education. 



350 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIBGINIA 

1. Nine months' schooling for every child. 

2. High schools within reasonable distance of every 
child. 

3. Well trained teachers. 

4. Agricultural and industrial training. 

5. Efficient supervision. 

6. Promotion of libraries. 

7. Schools for the defective and dependent. 

8. Citizens' educational association in every county 
and city. 

One hundred speakers, educators, teachers, lawyers, 
and business men, were asked to aid in the campaign, 
among them being Governor Montague, President Alder- 
man of the University of Virginia and many other well 
known men. In May 1905 this great campaign was made. 
Meetings were held in every county, the people were 
urged to take a greater interest in their schools, to pay 
more school taxes, and to help the teachers, and citizens 
associations were formed. The result was very encourag- 
ing. Education became one of the popular topics of the 
day. and in every section of the state numbers of men 
and women were ready to aid in making the schools 
better. 

J. D. Eggleston Elected Superintendent, 1905. — It 
was fortunate at this time, when the people of the state 
had begun to awaken to the need of better schools, that 
a man was chosen who could lead them. Tn the fall of 
1905 Joseph D. Eggleston was elected state superinten- 
dent of public instruction, a position which lie filled with 
great success for nearly eight years. In 1912 he resigned 
to become connected with the United States Bureau of 
Education, and in 1913 lie was elected president of the 
Virginia Polvtechnic Institute. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 351 

Superintendent p]ggleston was aided by a number of 
men and women, both teachers and private citizens, in 
improving the schools. The campaign to arouse interest 
continued through his efforts and those of the Co-opera- 
tive Education Commission and the State Teachers' As- 
sociation. Great meetings of all those who were in- 
terested in education were held once a year, the first in 
Lynchburg in 1905, the second in Richmond, the third in 
Roanoke, and thereafter in Richmond until 1913, when it 
was held in Lynchburg again. The county or division 
superintendents and school trustees formed associations 
and met at the same time, while the State Teachers' Asso- 
ciation provided for separate meetings of primary teach- 
ers, grammar grade teachers, high school and college 
teachers, kindergarten teachers, etc., besides for confer- 
ences by subjects taught. The Co-operative Education 
Association, as it was later called, continued its work 
of getting the parents interested in the schools by form- 
ing citizens' school leagues for the purpose of erecting 
better buildings, beautifying school grounds, and paying 
higher salaries to teachers. 

In 1912 R. C. Stearnes, for a long time president of 
the State Teachers' Association and several years secre- 
tary of the State Board of Education, was appointed 
State Superintendent Lo till the unexpired term of Mr. 
Eggleston. and in 1913 he was elected for a term of four 
j ears. 

Some Results of the Educational Awakening. — In 
the ten years from 1904 to 1914, great progress was made 
ir: improving the schools as the result of the interest 
thai had been aroused. Forty thousand more white 
children were enrolled in 1912 than in 1904. and about 
2000 more colored children. The average length 
of the school session for the whole state was increased 



352 school HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

from six to seven months. The total number of teachers 
increased from about 9,000 to over 11,000. The average 
monthly salary of male teachers was increased from 
$35.36 to .$55.76, and of female teachers from $27.79 to 
$40.15. The money spent on each child actually attend- 
ing school was more than doubled, and the amount of 
money spent on the public schools of the state was in- 
creased from $2,245,000 to $5,617,000. 

Nearly all the school houses are now owned by the 
districts, and tlie number of log houses is now very 
small. Every year over 200 new buildings are erected, 
many of them large graded and high schools in the 
country. In Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk, Lynchburg, 
and other cities and towns, splendid large high schools 
have been built, in addition to many grammar and pri- 
mary schools. The number of schools is smaller now than 
it was in 1904 because many of tbe one room schools in 
the country have been consolidated, and graded schools 
containing several rooms have been erected. When it 
is too far for the children to walk, comfortable school 
wagons are provided to go from home to home in the 
morning, gathering up the children and hauling them 
to the new central schools, and taking them back home 
iv; the afternoon. Thus the country children get the ad- 
vantages of graded schools and high schools. 

There are h%h schools having four year courses in 
every city and in nearly every large town and county in 
the state. Most of the colleges require all students to com- 
plete the high school course before they are allowed to 
enter. Tn each of the Congressional districts, agricul- 
tural high schools hav> been established, and in many 
of the high schools a normal course to prepare teachers 
has been put in. The General Assembly in 1906 passed 
a bill, introduced by Senator A. V. Thomas, appropriat- 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



353 




STATE FEMALE NORMAL SCHOOL. FARMVILLE 

ing $50,000 a year additional for high schools to be 
distributed in the school districts, provided the districts 
raised an amount equal to the share they got from the 
state. In 1908 this amount was raised to $100,000 a year, 
and the districts have more than trebled the amount they 
spend for the support of high schools, in addition to 
spending a half a million dollars a year for improve- 
ments. 

Among other important results of the interest in the 
public schools are higher county taxes for schools and 
more money, the establishment of normal schools, libra- 
ries in schools, stricter requirements for teachers be- 
fore they can be allowed certificates, and teachers pen- 
sions. The schools have greatly helped and have been 
greatly helped by the better farming movement, and 
efforts are being made to establish industrial training. 

Normal Schools for Teachers. — The need for better 
trained teachers was realized soon after the public 
school system was established. When the public schools 
were first opened, many of them were taught by male 
teachers of the private schools that existed before the 
war. When better times came after 1880, the salaries 
paid these experienced teachers were not sufficient to 
make it worth their while to continue to teach, and 
numbers of them engaged in other occupations. Women 
teachers, withoul much education and training, took their 
places. 



354 SCHOOL HISTOBY OF VIRGINIA 

The first normal school established was for colored 
teachers in the days the Readjusters were in power. 
This was the Virginia Normal and Industrial Insti- 
tute, established at Petersburg in 1882. Two years later 
the State Female Normal School was started at Farm- 
ville. From this school hundreds of trained women have 
conic to teach in the public schools and their work has 
resulted in a much higher standard of teaching. So valu- 
able was this school that in 1908 the General Assembly 
decided to establish three more normal schools for wo- 
men. In 1909 the Harrisonburg Normal and Industrial 
Institute was opened in the Valley section, and in 1911 
the Fredericksburg Normal and Industrial School was 
opened in the eastern section. In 1914 the Radford 
Industrial and Normal School was opened for the south- 
west section. 

For men teachers, normal training is provided at 
"William and Mary College and the University. A num- 
ber of men teachers are supplied by the Virginia Mili- 
tary Institute and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. 
The private colleges also supply a number of men for 
teaching in the schools. Most of the men in the public 
schools are principals and teachers in the high schools. 



(^TEST'IONS. 

1. Cinder whose leadership were plans made for improving edu- 
cational conditions in Virginia? Who were some of those 
who aided in the movement? 

2. Who became superintendent in 1905? Tell of the progress in 
education during his term. 

3. Give some results of the "educational awakening*." 

1. What normal schools have been established for women ? 
Where is normal training provided for men? 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIBGINIA 355 

VIRGINIA IN RECENT YEARS. 

The Making of History. — We have followed the his- 
tory of the Virginia people through more than three 
hundred years, from 1607 when the first permanent 
English colony in the New World was started at James- 
town, up to the present. The things that have taken 
place and that the people have believed and done are- 
history; what they are believing and doing now is the 
making of history. So that to complete our story of the 
Virginia people, we must point out some of the more 
important things they have begun in recent years and 
are engaged in doing now. Ten. twenty, or a hundred 
years from now, what we are doing in Virginia will 
appear as history, just as what was done by Virginians 
in the past is called "history." What sort of history are 
the Virginia people making to-day? 

Virginia in Recent Years. — Among the things that the 
people of Virginia have done and have begun to do in 
recent years are those which will enable the people of 
future years to be more prosperous, happier and better. 
Better schools and roads, better farming, more comforta- 
ble conditions of work in factories, means of preventing 
diseases, the taking care of the helpless and the sick — 
these are some of the things that will help Virginia in 
the future. Moreover, already there are changes which 
show that Virginia has greatly progressed. Among these 
are prosperity in the towns and the cities, increased 
crops on the farms, better health of the people, the 
leadership of Virginians in literature and in national 
affairs, and the eagerness to make everything better, 
everybody happier, and to give everybody a fair oppor- 
tunity to do the best he can. 



356 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Better Farming. — With the aid of the United States 
government, as we have seen, the state government a 
number of years ago began educating the young men on 
the farms, as well as the farmers themselves, in the science 
of farming. Recently this work has grown a great deal 
more important. Agricultural high schools have been 
started in each congressional district, and in nearly all 
of the counties the federal government has farm demon- 
stration agents and demonstration farms to show how 
better and larger crops can be grown by the proper 
methods. The boys' corn clubs are interesting the boys 
and young men in scientific farming, and many of the 
boys have raised more corn to the acre than their 
fathers ever did. The railroads every year run "better 
farming special" trains, with lecturers and exhibits to 
give the farmers the newest ideas about agriculture. 
Farmers' meetings in many sections are regularly held 
and the question of how to raise bigger crops is discussed 
frequently every year. 

Although Virginia is still far behind many other 
states in the amount of crops raised per acre, a con- 
siderable improvement is already being shown each year 
as the result of the better farming movement. When 
every farmer learns to look upon his farm as a business, 
just as the merchant looks upon his store or the manu- 
facturer his plant, and understands the best ways of 
rotating crops, selecting seed and fertilizing the soil, as 
well as of raising cattle, sheep, poultry and swine, he and 
his children will be anxious to stay on the farm instead 
of going to a town or city to be hired in a business house 
or factory. 

The Good Roads Movement. — Never since the old in- 
ternal improvement days has there been such an interest 
in better roads. Good country roads are needed by the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 357 

farmer so that he can bring his produce to market more 
frequently and with less wear and tear on his vehicles 
and his teams. They thus increase the trade of the towns 
as well as the crops of the country. They make educa- 
tion easier for the children and render life happier in 
the country. 

The State Highway Commission, which was created in 
1906, has greatly helped the people of the state by super- 




NEW CAPITOT, 

vising the building of roads and in creating interest. 
From 1906 to 1913 over 2000 miles of road, costing nearly 
$6,000,000, has been built, and in 1913 alone over 600 
miles of road was constructed. Between 1500 and 2000 
convicts are put to work on the roads. A large number 
of counties have issued bonds to obtain money for better 
roads, since it is better to have good roads first, get the 
use of them and pay for them later, than to build only 
a few miles of road each year. Some counties have their 
own good roads engineers to supervise the building and 
the repairing of the public highways. 



358 SCHOOL HISTOID OF VIRGINIA 

Fighting Disease. — In recent years, more attention has 
been paid to preventing diseases than ever before in 
Virginia. In times past, it was thought that curing 
people after they became sick was all that could be 
done; now the belief is growing among the people of the 
state that while every means of taking care of and curing 
the sick and helpless should be used, it is of more im- 
portance that every person should be protected from 
diseases and be prevented from ever having disease. 

The better care of the sick and helpless is the result 
of requiring physicians to have better training in medi- 
cine and surgery and more experience before they are 
allowed to practice, and of providing better-equipped 
hospitals, asylums, epileptic and tuberculosis colonies. A 
number of the cities have improved their city hospitals, 
and Richmond city and the state government have places 
where consumptives can get proper treatment. Private 
hospitals have also been greatly improved. 

The prevention of disease has been undertaken by 
state, city and county boards of health, and already 
good effects are seen. The state health department is 
telling the people in bulletins and in the newspapers 
how to avoid contagious diseases and impure water, and 
how to prevent sickness and ill health by keeping the 
houses and yards clean. City health departments have 
been created in Richmond. Norfolk, Lynchburg, Roanoke 
and Danville, and health officers have been appointed to 
see that the laws requiring healthy conditions and clean 
stores and market places, and preventing the spread of 
diseases, are kept. Drinking fountains have been put in 
many of the schools, and the common drinking cup has 
been banished from railroad trains, depots and many 
other public places. Cities are getting purer water sup- 
plies, putting in sewers and closing up the dangerous 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 359 

wells. In addition to these methods, the effort is being 
made to stop the hookworm disease and to decrease the 
terrible "white plague," as consumption or tuberculosis 
is called. The fight againsl consumption is very difficult, 
because people have not yet learned how to avoid it and 
because there are not sufficient hospitals to take care of 
those who are its victims. 

Growth of Cities. — The cities and towns in Virginia 
have increased in population very rapidly in recent 
years. In thirty years Roanoke grew from a village to 
a city of 30,000 people. The growth of cities has been 
due to larger factories and more factories and to more 
trade and business of all kinds. Goods manufactured 
in Virginia cities are sold all over the United States and 
in many foreign countries. Better roads and larger 
crops are making the farmers more able to buy the 
goods made and sold in towns and cities. 

The towns and cities have also done much in recent 
years toward civic and municipal improvements. Nearly 
every large town and every city is lighted by electricity. 
All of the cities have street cars. A great deal of money 
has been spent on streets, sidewalks and boulevards. A 
number of the cities are providing for more parks and 
playgrounds, and several of them have worked out plans 
to beautify the streets with trees and shrubs. Public- 
spirited citizens have provided libraries and Young 
.Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations. 

As business has grown, banks and other enterprises 
have constructed handsome new buildings, some of them 
costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, hi the Larger 
cities "sky scrapers" have been built, and the cities 
show evidences of "hustle" and prosperity. A large 
number of splendid schools, churches and halls have also 
been built since 1900. 



360 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Virginians in National Affairs. — With the election of 
a Domocratie President in 1912 and of a majority of 
Democratic members of the House of Representatives 
and of the Senate in the National Congress, Virginians 
are occupying a more prominent place in national affairs 
than at any time since the days of Washington, Jeffer- 
son. Madison and 
Monroe. President 
Woodrovv Wilson was 
born in Staunton, of 
Scotch-Irish ancestry, 
and received part of 
his education at the 
University of Virgin- 
ia. One of the most 
important laws passed 
in recent years is the 
currency law which 
was framed by two 
Virginians, Congress- 
man Carter Glass, of 
Lynchburg, and Sen- 
ator Robert L. Owen, 
of Oklahoma, who 
was also born in 
Lynchburg, both of whom are chairmen of committees 
in Congress. The chairman of one of the most important 
Senate committees, the Appropriations Committee, is 
Senator Thomas S. Martin. Congressmen William A. 
•Tones, Hay and Flood are also chairmen of important 
committees of the House of Representatives. Johb 
Skelton Williams .of Richmond, is the comptroller of 
the currency. Senator John W. Kern, born in Virginia, 
is the Democratic leader of the Senate. President 




WOODROW WILSON 



SCHOOL III STORY OF VIRGINIA 361 

Wilson appointed Thomas Nelson Page ambassador to 
Italy and Joseph E. Willard ambassador to Spain, both 
of whom are Virginians. 

Literature and Science. — Since the Civil War, a num- 
ber of Virginians have become widely known by their 
writings. Among the first of these was Dr. Bagby. 
who wrote some delightful sketches and essays on life in 
Virginia. Thomas Nelson Page, in the '80 's, wrote a 
story entitled "Marse Chan," which at once attracted 
attention throughout the nation, and since then has 
Written many works, becoming one of the best known 
novelists of the day. Tn more recent years a number of 
Virginia novelists have gained a national reputation, 
among them being Mary Johnston, Ellen Glasgow. Kate 
Langley Bosher. James Alston Cabell, and Henry Syd- 
nor Harrison. 

In historical writings. Alexander Brown and Philip 
Alexander Bruce have distinguished themselves for their 
work in Virginia colonial history. A number of younger 
historians are also beginning to write about other periods 
in Virginia history. John Randolph Tucker, for years 
a professor of law in Washington and Lee University, 
wrote a treatise on constitutional law which was widely 
recognized, and a number of other legal treatises have 
been written by Virginians. A number of important 
reports of the United States government have been 
written by Virginians. Virginia surgeons and physicians 
have also made some noteworthy contributions, among 
these being the study of pellagra by Dr. Lavinder. Pro- 
fessors C Alphonso Smith and Charles W. Kent and 
others of the University of Virginia are bringing South- 
ern literature to the attention of the country by their 
studies and editions. 



362 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

Recent Matters of Interest. — The Virginia people have 
shown themselves to be interested in many other ways 
besides schools, health work and better farming, in which 
progress is the aim. There are differences of opinion as 
to whether all of them will help the people of the state 
in future years, but those who are working for them 
believe that they will. Among these are the establish- 
ment of a state college for women, a new system of 
recording land (called the Torrens land registration 
system), and prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors 
all over the state. Tn 1914 the General Assembly decided 
to allow the people to decide the liquor question for them- 
selves at a general vote. As practically no saloons are 
allowed in the country districts and small towns, the 
liquor question affects chiefly the larger towns and cities, 
although people in the country buy liquor in the cities 
of Virginia and outside states. For a number of years 
it has been felt that the way in which taxes have been 
levied in Virginia was unfair, and in 1914 the General 
Assembly provided for a tax commission to study 
plans for reforming the tax system. Another question 
which has caused a good deal of discussion is whether 
women should be allowed to vote, and a number of 
women have urged that the right to vote be given to the 
women of the state as well as to the men. The people of 
the cities have believed that less money would be wasted 
and their governments be conducted at less cost and 
with better service to the public, if the* form of govern- 
ment could be changed to suit the ideas and needs of 
the people of each city. Accordingly, an amendment to 
the constitution Mas passed in 1913 by the voters of the 
state, allowing the cities to make such changes as they 
saw fit. 



school BISTORT OF VIRGINIA. 363 

A New Spirit in Old Virginia. — The history of Virginia 
in recent years shows that the people are more eager to 
make all things better than has been the case for many 
decades. Some of the ways in which it is hoped to 
accomplish this end may not be wise, it is true; but the 
eagerness to give every one a fairer chance to live 
healthier, cleaner, more prosperous and happier lives is 
very plainly seen. This eagerness, this desire, shows that 
more and more people are unselfish in their aims and 
want to help their fellowmen. We may truly call it the 
sign of a new spirit in old Virginia, of a better citizen- 
ship which, in spite of errors that may be committed, 
will make Virginia a greater and better state. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What is ' ' history ' ' .' 

2. What is there to show that Virginia has made greal progress 
in recent years .' 

Tell about improvements in farming. 

4. When was the state Highway Commission created? What lias 
been its work .' 

5. What steps have been taken to fight disease in Virginia? 

i). Give some account of the recent growth of cities in Virginia. 

7. What can lie said of Virginia's part in national affairs? 
Name some Virginians who have become prominent in recent 
years? Where was President Wilson, born .' 

8. What, progress has Virginia made in Literature and Science 
since the Civil War.' Give the names of some well-known Vir- 
ginia writers. 

'.I. Tell of some recent matters of interest. 
111. What new snirit seems to have taken hold of the Virginia 
people .' 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 365 



APPENDIX A. 



Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., was born in England about 1646. He 
was educated at Oxford, traveling extensively afterwards. Later 
he came to Virginia, where his bravery soon made him a leader. 
There was much dissatisfaction with the governor of the colony, 
and Bacon headed a rebellion of the colonists in 1676. It was 
■ luring this rebellion that Jamestown was burned, September 19. 
1676. Bacon hoped to establish for the colony a free government 
subject to Great Britain, but he did not live to carry out his 
plans, dying at Gloucester, 1676. 

William Byrd was born at Westover, Va., in 1674. He re- 
ceived his education in England, where he was made a member 
of the Royal Society, and became the first writer of note in 
Virginia. His library, containing nearly four thousand volumes, 
was not only the largest in the colony, but is said to have 
included the best books on a variety of subjects. He was 
prominently identified with the political, social, literary and 
industrial life of that period. He was receiver-general of 
revenues, public agent to the Court of Ministry of England. 
president of the Council, and rau the boundary line between 
Virginia and North Carolina. On his large plantation at 
Westover he had several grist mills from which he shipped 
flour to England and the West Indies, and it was on land which 
lie owned that Richmond was laid out in 1733. He died in 1744. 

William Claiborne was born about 1587. In 1621 he came to 
Virginia as surveyor for the colony, and four years later 
was appointed secretary of state for the colony. He was not 
secretary between the years 1637-1651, but was re-appointed 
in 1652, and kept the position until the Restoration. On April 
6, 1642, he was appointed treasurer for Virginia for life. He 
seems to have been a very prominent and trusted man. Later he 
became agent for Cloberry & Co., of London, and established a 
settlement on Kent Island in 1631. which afterward became a 
flourishing community. In 1634 this colony was claimed by 
Calvert, governor of Maryland, and for a long time there was 
much disputing o.ver it. When Charles 1. was executed. 
Charles II. was proclaimed by Maryland and Virginia, where- 
upon Claiborne asked Parliament for permission to re. luce the 
colonies. He overthrew the Cavalier government in Virginia, 
Richard Bennett being made governor. There is little more men 
tion <>f Claiborne until his death in 1677. 

James Carrington Cabell was horn on December 2<i, 177s. and 
was educated at ffampden-Sidney College. Later he "em to 
William and Mary College, graduating in [7d8. lie studied law 



36G SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



I nit never practiced it. In 1802 he went to Europe, studying 
there four years. Three years later he was elected to the Vir- 
ginia House of Delegates, where he served in 1808, 1809, 1831. 
1832, 1833, L834, and was in the Virginia Senate from 1810 to 
1829. From 1819 to 1856 he was connected with the University 
of Virginia, being- visitor throughout the time and rector 
1834-1836 and 1845-1856. He was much interested in education 
and was a sincere advocate of internal improvements in Vir- 
ginia. Jefferson looked upon him as his right-hand man in 
establishing the University of Virginia. He was also first 
president of the James River and Kanawha Canal Co., May, 
IKZo to February. 1X4(5. He died February 5, 1856. 

George B,ogers Clark was born November, 1752, near Monti- 
cello, Albemarle County, Va., where his early years were spent. In 
1775 he went to Kentucky and the next year was made major of 
tin- militia. His earlier work was along the lines of quelling 
Indian disturbances on the frontier. He was sent, as a delegate 
to the Virginia ConventioTi to urge the further settlement of 
frontier country, and as a result Kentucky was settled. Tn 1777 
he repelled Indian attacks on Harrodsburg and planned a conquest 
which was approved bv the governor. He captured Kaskaskia 
duly 4. 1778, and Vincennes February 24. 1779. Tn January, 1781, 
In- headed 29(1 riflemen and fought against Arnold's force on 
.lames River. He became a brigadier-general. He planned to 
capture Detroit, but his plan failed. His last great service 
was against the Indians. He died near Louisville, Ky., Febru- 
ary IS. ISIS. 

John Warwick Daniel was born in Lynchburg, Va., September 
•"). 1S42. He was going to Dr. Gessner Harrison's preparatory 
school in Nelson County when the Civil War broke out. He 
enlisted nt once as a private, but soon rose to the rank of 2d lieu- 
Tenant in Company C, Twenty-Seventh Virginia Infantry. His 
distinguished services caused him to rise steadily to lieutenant 
and adjutant and then to major of cavalry and assistant adjutant- 
general. In 1864 he was severely wounded at the Wilderness and 
had to withdraw from the war. He then studied law at the Uni- 
versity of Virginia and began to practice in Lynchburg. He was 
chosen to the House of Delegates in 1869, to the Senate in 1874- 
1882, and served as United 'States Senator, 1887-1910, and as a 
member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902. 
Me died June 29. 1910. 

Jefferson Davis was horn dune :;, 1808. in Christian County, 
now Todd County, Ky. He went to Transylvania College, Lexing- 
ton, Ky., and then to West Point, where he graduated in 1828 as 
2d lieutenant. Sixth Tnfantry. He was a brave man and served 
witli distinction in the Black Hawk War in 1832.. In 1835 he 
resigned, his commission, married, and moved to a plantation in 
Mississippi, where he lived quietly until he entered politics in 



SCHOOL U.18T0RY OF VIRGINIA 



1843, serving in the House of Representatives, 1845-1846. He 
resigned there to enter the army in the Mexican War, and was 
colonel of a regiment of Mississippi volunteers. After the war 
was over he was a Senator, 1847-1851; Secretary of War, 1853- 
1857, and again Senator, 1857 to 1861, when he withdrew, only to 
lie chosen provisional President of the Confederate States. Tn 
1802 he was chosen President for six years, and inaugurated 
February 2, 1862. After the Civil War he was imprisoned for 
two years by the United States at Fortress Monroe. The last years 
of his life he spent at his home in Mississippi, writing his greal 
work, ''Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.'" He died 
at New Orleans on December 6, 1889, and his body lies now in 
Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va. 

Lord Delaware (Thomas West) was born July 9, 1577. At his 
father's death in 1602, on March 24, he became the third Lord 
De la Warr. Tn 1609 he was appointed Governor of Virginia, but 
he did not really reach Virginia until dune 10, 1610. A year 
later he returned to England. On March 16, ,1618, he again set 
sail for the colonies, but died on the voyage on June 7. 

Jubal A. Early was born in Franklin County, Virginia, in 1818. 
lie received his military training at West Point and afterwards 
served in the Mexican War, where his distinguished services raised 
him to the rank of colonel. When the Civil War broke out, he at 
on..' offered his aid to the Confederate army, fighting throughout, 
the war. After the war he practiced law. He died in 1894 at 
Lynchburg, Va. 

Patrick Henry was born at Studley, Hanover County, Va., 
May 29, 1736. Be received an education as a lawyer and began 
to practice in 1700. He early became prominent in public affairs, 
and was especially noted for his gift of oratory. He was a mem 
ber of the House of Burgesses, 1705-1766; member of the Con- 
ventions of March 20, 1775, July 17, 1775, May 6, 1776. A month 
later he took his oath of office as first governor of Virginia and 
was re-elected twice, serving until 1789 and again held this office 
from 1784 to 1786, Be was a member of the Continental Congress 
lit' 1774. and did much to rouse the country with his speeches. He 
was a member of the Bouee of Delegates, 1780-1782, 1788-1790, 
but declined a seat in the Federal Convention of 1787, although 
he was a member of the Virginia Convention of 1788. Be was 
elected governor of Virginia for the sixth time, but declined. 
Be died at Red Bill, Charlotte County, June 6, 1799. 

Thomas J. Jackson was born January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, 
Va. (now W. Va.), and was Ief1 an orphan at the age of seven. 
He was of an indomitable disposition and early learned to struggle 
for himself. Be graduated from West Point in 1846, being made 
2d lieutenant of artillery on March .">, 1847. He distinguished him 

self with Scott's army in the Mexican War, and afterwards was 
established at a station in Florida in 1850. In 185] he was made 
the professor of artillery tactics ami natural philosophy in the 



:;<;s SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 



Virginia Military Institute. When the Civil War came he went 
to the front as colonel of the Virginia volunteers and was made 
major-general in October, 1861, being given command of the 
Shenandoah Valley. He was a brave soldier and distinguished 
himself in many battles, being fatally wounded in 1863, and died 
May 10th of that year. 

Thomas Jefferson was born at Shadwell, Albemarle County, 
April 13, 1743. He received legal training under George Wythe, 
and began to practice in 1767. He was much interested in the 
questions of the time and took an active interest in all affairs. 
He was member of the House of Burgesses, 1769-1775; member 
of the Convention of March 20, 1775 and of July 17, 1775, and 
was delegate to the Continental Congress, 1775-76. It was he 
who first drafted the Declaration of Independence. His public 
career continued in importance. He was again a member of the 
House of Delegates. 1776-79-1782, and governor in 1779-1781. 
He was delegate to Congress in 1783-1784, and for the next four 
years served as Minister to France. From 1797 to 1801 he was 
Vice-President of the United States, and from 1801 to 1809 Presi- 
dent. One of his most enduring works was the founding of the 
University of Virginia. He died July 4, 1826, at his home in 
Monticello. 

Joseph Eggleston Johnston was born near Parmville, Va.. on 
February 3, 1804. He received his military training at West 
Point, graduating in 1829, and entering the army as 2d lieutenant. 
During the Mexican War, 1846-1847, he served with great bravery, 
and became quartermaster-general, United States Army, in 1860, 
and brigadier-general in 1861, at which date he resigned from 
the United States army. He served gallantly throughout the 
Civil War, becoming general in 1861, and was in command of the 
Tennessee forces in 1863-1864. After the war was over he took 
a great interest in the affairs of his state, being a member of 
the House of Representatives. 1879-1881. In 1889 he was United 
States Commissioner of Railroads, lie died at Washington, D. C, 
on March 21, 1891. 

Fitzhugh Lee was born at Clermont, Fairfax County, Va., on 
November 19, 1835. He graduated at West Point in 1856, receiv- 
ing a commission as 2d lieutenant, Second Cavalry. He resigned 
this in order to enter the Confederate army, and was adjutant in 
Genera] Ewell's brigade until September, 1861. He then became 
lieutenant-colonel, and colonel of First Virginia Cavalry. 1S61- 
1862; brigadier-general, 1S62; major-general, 1863. After the 
war he was much interested in the reconstruction of the South, 
serving as governor of Virginia in 1886-1890, after which he was 
sent as United States Consul to Havana, where he became governor 
in 1899. In 1905 he was made president of the Jamestown Tercen- 
tennial Exposition. He died in Washington, I). ('., April 2^. 1905. 



school HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 369 



Robert E. Lee was born January 19, L807, at Strafford, West: 
more-land County, Ya. In 1 si2."> he went to West Point and grady 
ated in four years, being first assigned to duty at Hampton 
Roads, Ya. In 1 s :i l he married Mary Randolph Custis, of Arling- 
ton, Ya. From 1834 to 1837 he assisted the chief engineer of the 
army, and in 1838 became captain of engineers. He returned 
as visitor to West Point in 1S44, but when the call came to war 
in Mexico he went to the front. In '1852-1855 he became super- 
intendent at West Point, being lieutenant -colonel Second Cavalry 
in 1855. During the Indian troubles in 1856-1859 in Texas, Lee 
Was most useful in conquering the refractory tribes, as he was 
also in putting down the rebellion started by John Brown in 
1859. In 1860 he was in charge of the Department of Texas, 
became colonel of the First Cavalry in 1861, and was offered the 
command of the United States armies, lie was a true lover of 
the South, however, and resigned, entering the Confederate army, 
commanding the Army of Northern Virginia, and later all of the 
Confederate armies. After the war he was as deeply interested 
as ever in the South, and accepted the presidency of Washington 
College in 1 S(>.~. as the West means of helping the South. lie de- 
clined all other offers, even that of candidacy for the governor- 
ship in lSb'7. He 'lied October 12, 1870. 

Andrew Lewis was born in Ireland about 1716. He came to 
America with his parents and early became famed for his bravery. 
His first encounters were against the Indians, and in 1756 he was 
sent on an expedition against the Shawnee Indians, and afterwards 
the Cherokee Indians. Hater he fought with Washington at Great 
Meadows and was present at Braddock's defeat. He fought in 
several frontier encounters, ami in 177<> took a brigadier-general- 
ship in the army, and served throughout the Revolutionary War. 
He died in 1780 and is buried near Salem. 

James Madison was horn at Port Conway. King George County, 
Ya., on March Hi, 1751. He went to Princeton for his education 
and graduated there when he was twenty years old. The Revolu- 
tionary War broke out soon alter, and he took an active part in 
affairs, being a member of the Virginia Convention of May 
(i, 177H; member of the House of Delegates in 177<i. 17^4. 17S.">. 
1786, ami a member of the Executive Council in 1777. lie went 

l.i Congress December II, 1780", and served for three years cmi 
eecutively, ami again from 1786 to 1788. In the question with 
Maryland of the regulation of navigation on the Potomac he 
was commissioner for Virginia, and was a delegate to the Federal 

Convention on commercial regulations in 1786-1787. He 1 nine 

mure prominent still in national affairs, being in the House of 

Representatives, 17.ssi-i7-.i7; Secretary of state. 1801-1809, and 
finally President of the United States, 1809 1817. After this he 
served as a member of the Virginia Convention of 1829-1830. IP- 
die,! J,,ne 28, 1836. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



John Marshall was born at Gerinantown, Fauquier County, 
Va., in 1755. He fought gallantly throughout the Revolutionary 
War, first as lieutenant and later as captain. After the war he 
studied law and practiced law in 1781. He began his public career 
in politics as a member of the House of Delegates in 1782, and 
again in 1784, 1787-91, 1795, 1796, and as a member of the Execu- 
tive Council December 30, 1782, to 1784, when he resigned. He 
became a member of the Virginia Convention in 1788. Eleven 
years later he was named as Minister to France, but. returned in a 
year. Fro7n 1799 to 1800 he was in the United States House of 
Representatives, becoming Secretary of State in 1800. From 1801 
to his death he served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 
acting as a member of the Virginia Convention of 1829-30. He 
died at Philadelphia, July 6, 1835. 

George Mason was born in 1725 in Stafford County, Va. Little 
is known of his youth. He first appears in public life as a member 
of the House of Burgesses from 175S to 1701. In 1709 he drew 
up the nonimportation resolutions afterward presented by Wash- 
ington to the House of Burgesses and accepted, and, in 1774, he 
presented to the people the famous Fairfax resolves. In 1775 
and 1776, he was a member of the Virginia, convention. He was 
the author of the Virginia Bill of Rights. lie again served the 
state as member of the House of Delegates, 1776-1780, and as 
member of the convention, 1788. He died October 7, 1792. 

Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in S|>ottsylvania County, 
Va., January 24, 1806. He went to Harpeth Academy at the age 
of sixteen, and was appointed midshipman in the United States 
navy in 1825. His first work on navigation, Maury's Navigation, 
was published in 1834. In 1837 he was made lieutenant. He 
joined the Confederate navy in 1861. He was always much in- 
terested in naval service, and in 1862 established a naval sub- 
marine battery service. On account of his superior knowledge 
he was appointed a Confederate navy agent in Europe and fitted 
out armed vessels. After the war he went to Mexico, but re- 
turned at the death of Emperor Maximillian. He was then elected 
to the chair of physics in Virginia Military Institute, holding this 
position until his death in 1873. He did much for the adoption 
of steam as a motive power for ships, for better arms in war. 
establishing a naval academy at Annapolis, and other naval 
matters. 

James Monroe was horn in Westmoreland County, Va., April 
28, 1758. lie entered William and Mary College, but when the 
Revolutionary War broke out he left college to join the army. 
He became lieutenant-colonel in 177S, and a military commis- 
sioner from Virginia to the Southern army in 1780. After the war 
was over he studied law under Jefferson. After 1782 he was 
actively engaged in public affairs. For five years he was a mem- 
ber of the Bouse of Delegates; from 1783 to 1786 he was in the 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



Continental Congress, and in 1788 he was a member of the Vir- 
ginia Convention. He was sent to the United States Senate from 
1790 to 1796, and then was Minister to France for two years. 
He returned to the governorship of his native state from 1799 
to 1802, and then again in 1811. Meanwhile he went as Minister 
to England for five years, 1803-07. In 1811 he became Secretary 
of State, and in 1814 Secretary of War. He was President from 
1817 to 1825, and previous to his death, July 4, 1831, was for two 
years a member of the Virginia Convention, 1829-30. 

Thomas Nelson, Jr., was born at Yorktown, Va., December 26, 
I 798. He went to England at the age of fourteen for his educa- 
tion and returnetl at the end of seven years. From 1761 to 1776 he 
was a member of the House of Burgesses, member of several con- 
ventions, delegate to Continental Congress, 1775, 1776, 1779. He 
was one of those who signed the Declaration of Independence. 
On account of his bravery he was made commander-in-chief of the 
Virginia forces in 1777. In 1777 and 1779 he was a member of 
the House of Delegates. In 1781 he became governor of Vir 
ginia. Afterwards he was commander of the Virginia militia at 
Yorktown with the rank of major-general. He died Januarv 
4. 1789. 

George E. Pickett was horn at Richmond on January 25, 1825. 
lie received his mlitarv training at West Point, graduating in 
18.46. In the Mexican War he served as Second Lieutenant, and 
was brevetted Captain before the end of the war. After the war 
he was on frontier duty in Texas and then in Washington Terri- 
tory until the Civil War came on. He entered the Confederate 
Army as Major of Artillery, and on July 23, 1861, became Colonel. 
Because of his brave and faithful service he rose to the rank of 
Ma jot General in October, 1862. He died in Norfolk on July 30, 
1875. 

Pocahontas was the daughter of the Indian chief. Powhatan, 
and was born about 1595. She saved the life of Captain John 
Smith in 160S, and was married to John Rolfe in April, 1614. 
Two years later she went to England with her husband and little 
son. and died the next year at (iravesend. She was buried there 
in the Church of St. George, but this church was later burned, 
and all trace of the tomb was lost, Her son remained in Eng- 
land until 1648, and then returned to the colonies. 

William Henry Ruffner was born at Lexington, Va.. in L824. 
He studied at Washington College, now Washington and bee Uni- 
versity, from which he was graduated with the degree of Master of 
Arts, and later at the Union Theological Seminary and at Prince- 
toil University. Having entered the ministry, he was for two yens 
chaplain at the University <»t' Virginia, and afterwards pastor of 
a Presbyterian church in' Philadelphia. In 1853 he gave u> the 
ministry on account of poor health and engaged in farming. When 
the Public School System was established in 1870, he was chosen 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



by the legislature as the first Superintendent of Public Instruction 
over fifteen other applicants. He served as the first president of 
the State Female Normal School at Farmville, which was estab- 
lished in 1884. Upon his retirement from active educational work 
he went to live in Lexington, where during his last years he wrote 
a history of Washington and Lee University. 

John Smith. The date of the birth of Captain John Smith is 
doubtful, but his baptism took place somewhere between 1579 and 
1580, at Willoughby, Lincolnshire, Rngland. He seems to have 
been inclined to a military life from his early years, for after his 
father's death in 1596 he entered the French army, and afterwards 
served some time in the Low Counties, returning to England in 
1600. Then he served with Austria against the Turks, was taken 
captive and made a slave, escaping to England in 1605. The next 
year lie went to the colonies in Newport's expedition to Virginia. 
In Kins lie was president of the colony, and returned to England 
the next year. In Kill! he published a map of Virginia. Later he 
went back to the colonies and explored New England, where he was 
captured by the French in Kilo. He was soon set free and re- 
turned to England, where he died in June, 1631. 

Alexander Spotswood was bom in 1676 in Tangier. Africa, his 
father being resident physician in the English Colony there. 
He received military training in the army and distinguished him- 
self under .Marlborough. In 1710 he went to Virginia as deputy 
governor for George Hamilton, Earl of Orkney. He had a very 
wise administration and the people prospered under his guidance. 
lu 171.6 he discovered a passage through the Blue Kidge Moun- 
tains. He was removed as governor in 1722, and in 1730-39 was 
Deputy Postmaster-General of the Colonies. He was raised to the 
rank of Major-General, and just as he was preparing to take his 
troops to Carthagena, he died at Annapolis June 7, 174n. 

James Ewell Brown Stuart was born in Patrick County, Va., 
on February 6. 1S33. He went for a time to Emory and Henry 
College and then to West Point, where he graduated in 1854. 
Then he served for three years as 2d lieutenant on frontier duty 
in Texas. Missouri and Kansas, and in Utah in 1858. The next 
year he went as Gol. K. E. Lee's aide-de-camp in the John Brown 
insurrection, and in I860 went on the Kiowa and Comanche ex- 
pedition, and the following year was made captain of the First 
Cavalry. He was a loyal Southerner, and joined the Confederate 
army in )S(il, rising in rank to major-general in 1862. He was 
wounded seriously at the battle of Yellow Tavern, dying in 1S64. 

John Tyler was bom at Greenway, Charles City County, 
March 29. 1791). He received his education at William and Mary 
College, graduating in 1807. His political career began in LSI! 
when he was elected a member of the House of Delegates. He was 
re elected annually until 1816, when he was elected to fill a vacancy 
in the Finted States House of Representatives, where he served 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



until 1821. His ability was such that he increased in prominence, 
being a member of the House of Delegates in 1823, 1824 and L838, 
governor in 1825-1827, United .States Senator from 1827 to 1836, 
Vice-President in 1840, and President in 1841-1845. He was a 
member of the Virginia Convention of 1829-1830, and of 1861. He 
was elected to the Confederate House of Representatives, but died 
before taking his seat, January 18, 1862. 

George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Feluii 
ary 22, 1732. He was trained as a surveyor, and educated in that 
occupation from 1748 to 1751. In 1752 he fell heir to Mt. Vernon. 
He was later made Lieutenant-Colonel and aide-de-camp to Brad 
dock. His ability marked him as a leader and rising man, and 
he became a member of the House of Burgesses, 1765-177.""); 
member of the Convention, March 20, 1775; Delegate to Hie jSon 
tinental Congress, 1774-1775; and Commander of the Continental 
forces in 1775, from which he resigned in 1783. He stood out 
as the only man capable of being President in the new Republic 
and served thus from 1789 to 1797, in which year he retired to 
Mt. Vernon. He died December 14, 1799. 

Henry Alexander Wise was born on December 3, 1800, at Dun- 
mondtown, Accomac County. Va. He attended Washington Col- 
lege. Pa., from which he graduated at the age of nineteen. 
He became a lawyer in Winchester in 1828, and practiced for 
two years in Nashville, Tenn., returning to Virginia in 1831. 
Three years later he was chosen a member of the U. S. House of 
Representatives. From then on he was thoroighly interested in 
national affairs, being Minister to Brazil, 1844-1847, member 
of the Constitutional Convention of 1861, Brigadier ( lenera I 
C. S. A., 1861, and Commissioner on the boundary line between 
Virginia and Maryland in 1873. He died in Richmond, September 
12, 1876. 



:!74 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



APPENDIX B. 



VIRGINIA COUNTIES — DATE OP ORGANIZATION. 


AREA, POPULA- 




TION AND COUNTY SEAT. 




Name of County 


Organized 


Population 
1910 


band Area 
Xq. Miles 


County Sent 


Accomac 


1672 


36,650 


502 


Accomac 


Albemarle 


1744 


29,871 


750 


( 'harlottesville 


Alexandria 


1847 


10,231 


31 


Alexandria 


Alleghany 


1822 


14,173 


457 


( 'ovington 




1734 
1761 


8,720 
18,932 


371 
470 


Amelia 


Amherst 


Amherst 


Appomattox .... 


1845 


8,904 


342 


Appomattox 


Augusta 


1738 


32,445 


1 ,003 


Staunton 


Rath 


1790 


6,538 


545 


Warm Springs 


Bedford 


1753 


29,549 


791 


Bedford City 


Bland 


1861 
1769 


5,154 
17,727 


360 

548 


Bland 


Botetourt 


Fincastle 


Brunswick 


1720 


19.244 


557 


Lawrenceville 


Buchanan 


1858 


12,334 


514 


Grundy 


Buckingham .... 


1761 


15,204 


584 


Buckingham 


Campbell 


1781 


23,043 


552 


Rustburg 


< 'aroline 


1727 


16,596 


529 


Bowling Green 


< 'an oil 


1842 


21,116 


458 


Hillsville 


< 'harles Citv .... 


1-634 


5,253 


188 


Charles Citv 


< 'harlotte 


1764 


15,785 


496 


Smithville 


< 'iicsterrield .... 


174S 


21.299 


471 


( Chesterfield 


( 'larke 


1886 
1850 


7.46S 
4,711 


171 
333 


Berrvville 


Craig 


New Castle 


< 'ulpeper 


1748 


13,472 


384 


< 'ulpeper 


Cumberland .... 


1748 


9,195 


293 


t 'umberland 


Dickenson 


1880 


9,199 


325 


Clintwood 


Dinwiddie 


1752 


15,442 


518 


Dinwiddle 


Elizabeth Citv . . 


1634 


21,225 


54 


Hampton 




1691 


9,105 
20,536 


258 


Tappahaunoek 

Fairfax 


Fairfax 


1742 


417 


Fauquier 


1759 


22,526 


666 


Warrenton 


Floyd 


1831 


14,092 
8,323 


376 


Floyd 


Fluvanna 


1777 


285 


Palmyra 


Franklin 


1785 


26,480 


697 


Rocky Mount 


Frederick 


1738 


12,787 


434 


Winchester 


Giles 


1806 


11,623 


369 


Pearisburg 


Gloucester 


1652 


12.477 


223 


Gloucester 


G -hlaihl 


1727 


9,237 


287 


Goochland 


Grayson 


1792 


19,856 


425 


Independence 


Greene 


1838 


6,937 


155 


Stanardsville 


Greenesville .... 


1780 


11,890 


307 


Emporia 


Halifax 


1 752 


40.044 


814 


Houston 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



375 



APPENDIX B— (Continue.!). 



Name of County 


Organized 


Population 
1910 


fjand Area 
Sq. Miles 


County Seui 


Hanover 


1720 


17,200 


512 


Hanover 


Henrico 


1634 


23,437 


266 


Eichmond 


Henry 


1776 


18,459 


444 


Martinsville 


Highland 


1847 


5,317 


422 


Monterev 


Isle of Wight . . 


1634 


14,929 


314 


Isle of Wight 


.lames City .... 


1634 


6,338 


164 


Williamsburg 


Kino; and Queen. 


1691 


9,576 


320 


King and Queen 


King George . . . 


1720 


6,378 


180 


King George 


King William . . 


1701 


8,547 


263 


King William 


Lancaster 


1651 


9,752 


130 


Lancaster 


Lee 


1792 


23,840 


446 


Jonesvillo 


Loudoun 


1757 


21,167 


519 


Leesburg 


Louisa 


1742 


16,578 


516 


Louisa 


Lunenburg 


1745 


12,780 


430 


Lunenburg 


Madison 


1792 


10,055 


324 


Madison 


Mathews 


1790 


8,922 


94 


Mathews 


Mecklenburg . . . 


1764 


28,956 


669 


Boydton 


Middlesex 


1675 


8,852 


146 


Saluda 


Montgomery .... 


1776 


17,268 


396 


Christiansburg 


Nansemond .... 


1639 


26,886 


423 


Suffolk 


Nelson 


1807 


16,821 


473 


Lovineston 


New Kent 


1654 


4,682 


191 


New Kent 


Norfolk 


1691 


52,744 


404 


Portsmouth 


Northampton . . . 


1634 


16,672 


239 


Eastville 


Northumberland 


1648 


10,777 


205 


Heathsvillc 


Nottoway 


1788 


13,462 


310 


Nottoway 


Orange 


1734 


13,486 


359 


Orange 


Page 


1831 


14,147 


322 


Lurav 


Patrick 


1790 


17,195 


285 


Stuart 


Pittsylvania .... 


1 767 


50,709 


1,012 


Chatham 


Powhatan 


1777 


6,009 


273 


Powhatan 


Prince Edward . . 


1753 


14.266 


356 


Farmville 


Prince George. . . 


] 702 


7,848 


294 


Prince George 


Prince William . 


1730 


12,026 


345 


Manassas 


Princess Anne . . 


1691 


11,526 


279 


Princess Anne 


Pulaski 


1839 


17.246 


333 


Pulaski 


Rappahannock . . 


1831 


S,044 


274 


Washington 


Richmond 


1692 


7.415 


204 


Warsaw 


Roanoke 


1838 


19, 62:; 


300 


Salem 


Rockbridge 


1778 


21,171 


613 


Lexington 


Rockingham . . . . 


1778 


34,903 


876 


Harrisonburg 


Russell 


1785 


23,474 


496 


Lebanon 


Scott 


1814 


23.S14 


543 


Gate City 


Shenandoah 


1772 


20,942 


510 


Woodstock 


Smyth 


1 831 


20,326 


435 


Marion 


Southampton . . . 


1748 


2<;.:'.o2 


604 


Courtland 



376 



SCHOOL III STORY OF VIEGINIA 



A PPE NDI X B— ( ( 'ontinued ) . 



Name of County Organized 



Population 
1910 



Land Area 
Sq. Miles 



County Seat 



Spottsylvania . . | 

Stafford | 

Surry | 

Sussex 

Tazewell 

Warren 

Warwick .... 
Washington . . 
Westmoreland 

Wise 

Wythe 

York 



1720 
166(5 
1652 
1754 
1799 
1837 
1634 
1776 
1653 
1S55 
1790 
1634 



9,935 

8,070 

9,715 

13,664 

24,946 

8,589 

6,(141 

32,880 

9,313 

34, 162 

20,372 



412 
274 
278 
515 
531 
216 
67 
602 
252 
420 
479 
136 



Spottsylvania 

Stafford 

Surry 

Sussex 

Tazewell 

Front Royal 

Newport News 

Abingdon 

Montross 

Wise 

Wytheville 

Yorktown 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 



APPENDIX C. 



POPULATION OF CITIES AND TOWNS IN VIRGINIA HAVING 
MORE THAN 2.500 INHABITANTS. 



Name of City or Tow 

Alexandria .... 
Bedford City . . 
Big stem' Gap . 

Bristol 

Buena Vista 
Charlottesville 
Clifton Forgo . 

( !ovington 

Danville 

Farmville 

Fredericksburg 

Hamilton 

Barrisonburg . . 

Lexington 

Lynchburg .... 

Marion 

Martinsville . . . 
Newport News . 

Norfolk 

Petersburg .... 
Portsmouth 

Pulaski 

K:i.|f<ml 

Richm I 

Roanoke 

Siilcm 

South Boston . . 

Staunton 

Suffolk 

Williamsburg . . 
Winchester .... 
Wytheville 



Population 
1910 



15,329 

2,508 
2,590 
6.247 

3,245 

6,765 

5,748 

4,234 

19,020 

2,97] 

5,874 

5,505 

4,879 

2,931 

29,494 

2,727 

3,368 

20,205 

67,452 

24,127 

33,190 

1,807 

4,202 

127,628 

34,874 

3.849 

3,516 

10,604 

7,008 

2, 714 

5,864 

3,054 



Population 

1900 

14,52"8 _ 

2,416 

1,617 

4,579 

2.3SS 

6,449 

3,579 

2,950 

16,520 

2,471 

5,068 

2,764 

3,521 

3,203 

18,891 

2,045 

2,384 

L9,635 

46,624 

21,810 

17,427 

2,813 

3,344 

85,050 

21.495 

3,412 

1,851 

7,289 

3,827 

2.044 

5,161 

3,003 



Populatioi 

1890 



14,339 
2,897 

2,902 
1,044 
5,591 

1,792 
704 

10,305 
2,404 
4,528 
2,513 
2,792 
3,059 

19,709 
1,651 



34,871 
22,680 
L3,268 

2.112 

2,060 
81,388 
16,159 

3,279 

1 ,789 
<i.97.-i 
3,35 1 
1,83] 
5,196 
2,570 



Not separately returned. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

APPENDIX D. 



BILL OF RIGHTS. 
A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS, made by the repre- 
sentatives of the good people of Virginia assembled in 
full and free Convention; which rights do pertain to 
them and their posterity, as the Basis and Foundation 
of Government. 

Section 1. That all men are by nature equally free and inde- 
pendent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they 
enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive 
or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and 
liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and 
pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. 

Sec. 2. That all power is vested in, and consequently derived 
from, the people; that magistrates are their trustees and servants, 
and at all times amenable to them. 

Sec. 3. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the 
common benefit, protection and security of the people, nation or 
community; of all the various modes and forms of government, 
that is best, which is capable of producing the greatest degree of 
happiness and safety, and is most effectually secured against the 
danger of maladministration; and, whenever any government shall 
be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of 
the community hath an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible 
right to reform, alter or abolish it, in such manner as shall be 
judged most .conducive to the public weal. 

Sec. 4. That no man, or set of men, is entitled to exclusive 
or separate emoluments or privileges from the community; but 
in consideration of public services; which not being descendible, 
neither ought the offices of magistrate, legislator or judge to 
be hereditary. 

Sec. 5. That the legislative, executive, and judicial depart- 
ments of the State should be separate and distinct; and that the 
members thereof may be restrained from oppression, by feeling 
and participating the burthens of the people, they should, at fixed 
periods, be reduced to a private station, return into that body 
from which they were originally taken, and the vacancies be 
supplied by regular elections, in which all or any part of the 
former members shall be again eligible, or ineligible, as the laws 
may direct. 

Sec. fi. That all elections ought to be free; and that all men, 
having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and 
attachment to, the community, have the right of suffrage, and 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 379 

cannot be taxed, or deprived of, or damaged in, their property 
for public uses, without their own consent, or that of their repre- 
sentatives duly elected, or bound by any law to which they have 
not, in like manner, assented for the public good. 

Sec. 7. That all power of suspending laws, or the execution 
of laws, by any authority, without the consent of the representa- 
tives of the people, is injurious to their rights, and ought nut 
to be exercised. 

Sec. 8. That no man shall be deprived of his life, or liberty, 
except by the law of the land, or the judgment of his peers ; 
nor shall any man be compelled in any criminal proceeding to give 
evidence against himself, nor be put twice in jeopardy for the 
same Offence, but an appeal may be allowed to the Commonwealth 
in all prosecutions for the violation of a law relating to the 
state revenue. 

That in all criminal prosecutions a man hath a right to demand 
the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with the 
accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor, and to a 
speedy trial by an impartial jury of his vicinage, without whose 
unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty; provided, however. 
that in any criminal case, upon a plea of guilty, tendered in person 
by the accused, and with the consent of the attorney for the 
■ 'onunonwealth, entered of record, the court shall, and in a proseeu- 
t'lin for an offence not punishable by death, or confinement in the 
penintentiarv, upon a plea of not guilty, with the consent of the 
accused, given in person, and of the attorney for the Commonwealth, 
both entered of record, the court, in its discretion, may hear and 
determine the case, without the intervention of a jury ; and, that the 
(ieneral Assembly may provide for the trial of offences not punish- 
able by death, or confinement in the penitentiary, by a justice of 
the peace, without a jury, preserving in all such cases, the right 
of the accused to an appeal to and trial by jury in the circuit or 
corporation court; and may also provide for juries consisting of 
less than twelve, but not less than five, for the trial of offences 
not punishable by death, or confinement in the penintentiarv, and 
may classify such cases, and prescribe the number of jurors for 
each class. 

Sec. !). That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor ex- 
cessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

Sec. 10. That general warrants, whereby an officer or mes- 
senger may be commanded to search suspected places without 
evidence of a fact committed, or to seize any person or persons 
nut named, or whose offence is not particularly described and 
supported by evidence, are grievous and oppressive, and ought 
not to be granted. 

Sec. 11. That no person shall be deprived of his property 
without <\uv process of law; ami in controversies respecting prop 
erty, and in suits between man and man. trial by jury is preferable 
to any other, and ought to lie held sacred; but the General Vssem 
lily may limit the number of jurors for civil cases in circuit and 



380 SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

corporation courts to not less than five in cases now cognizable 
I >v justices of the peace, or to not less than seven in cases not so 
cognizable. 

Sec. 12. That the freedom of the press is one of the great 
bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic 
governments; and any citizen may freely speak, write and publish 
his sentiments on ail subjects, being responsible for the abuse 
of that right. 

Sec. 13. That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body 
of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural and safe 
defence of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, 
should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases 
the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed 
by, the civil power. 

Sec. 14. That the people have a right to uniform government; 
and, therefore, that no government separate from, or independent 
of, the government of Virginia, ought to be erected or established 
within the limits thereof. 

Sec. 15. That no free government, or the blessing of liberty, 
can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, 
moderation, temperance, frugality and virtue, and by frequent 
recurrence to fundamental principles. 

Sec. 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, 
and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason 
and conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore, all men 
are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to 
the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all 
to practice Christian forbearance, love and charity towards each 
other. 

Sec. 17. The rights enumerated in this Bill of Rights shall not 
be construed to limit other rights of the people not therein ex- 
pressed. 



SCHOOL HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 

APPENDIX E. 



ORDINANCE OF SECESSION. 



AN ORDINANCE TO REPEAL THE RATIFICATION OF THE CON- 
STITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE 
STATE OF VIRGINIA, AND TO RESUME ALL THE RIGHTS AND 
POWERS GRANTED UNDER SAID CONSTITUTION. 



The peopli <>f I'iritinid, in their ratification of the Constitution 
of the United States of America, adopted by them in convention 
on the 25th day of June, in the year of our Lord 1788, having 
declared that the powers granted under said Constitution were 
derived from the people of the United States, and might be re- 
sumed whensoever the same should be perverted to their injury 
and oppression, and the Federal Government having perverted said 
l>uwers, not only to the injury of the people of Virginia, but to 
the oppression of the Southern slave-holding States: 

Now, therefore, we, the ■i<<ijil< of Virginia, do declare and 
ordain, That the ordinance adopted by the people of this State 
in convention on the 25th of June, in the year of our Lord L788, 
whereby the Constitution of the United States of America was 
ratified, and all acts of the General Assembly of this State ratify- 
ing or adopting amendments to said Constitution, are hereby 
repealed and abrogated; that the union between the State of Yiv 
ginia and the other States under the < 'onstitution aforesaid is 
hereby dissolved, and that the State of Virginia is in the full posses 
sion and exercise of all the rights of sovereignty which belong and 
appertain to a free and independent Slat,. 

Anil they do further declare, That the said Constitution of the 
United States of America is no longer binding on any of tin' 
citizens of this State. 

This ordinance shall take effect and lie an act of this day, when 
ratified by a majority of the votes of the people of this Stair 
casl at a poll to be taken thereon on the fourth Thursday in May 
next, in pursuance of a schedule hereafter to be enacted. 

Done in Convention, in the city of Richmond, on the 17lh day of 
April, in the year of our Lord 1861, and in the eighty-fifth year 
of the Commonwealth of Virginia. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




II II II ,iii n 1 1 milium minim urn 
014 443 918 1 • 



